crankshaft vs distaff

crankshaft

noun
  • A rotating shaft that drives (or is driven by) a crank. 

verb
  • To deform in such a manner that part of the rod or bolt is displaced sideways, offset from the longitudinal axis of the part, but remains parallel with the part's main longitudinal axis, with the final shape somewhat resembling a crankshaft. 

distaff

noun
  • The part of a spinning wheel from which fibre is drawn to be spun. 

  • A woman, or women considered as a group. 

  • A device to which a bundle of natural fibres (often wool, flax, or cotton) are attached for temporary storage, before being drawn off gradually to spin thread. A traditional distaff is a staff with flax fibres tied loosely to it (as indicated by the etymology of the word), but modern distaffs are often made of cords weighted with beads, and attached to the wrist. 

  • A race for female horses only. 

  • Anything traditionally done by or considered of importance to women only. 

adj
  • Of, relating to, or characteristic of women. 

  • Of the maternal side of a family. 

How often have the words crankshaft and distaff occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )