crank vs curb

crank

verb
  • To turn. 

  • To cause to spin via other means, as though turned by a crank. 

  • To turn by means of a crank. 

  • To act in a cranky manner; to behave unreasonably and irritably, especially through complaining. 

  • To turn a crank. 

  • To be running at a high level of output or effort. 

noun
  • Synonym of methamphetamine. 

  • A twist or turn in speech; word play consisting in a change of the form or meaning of a word. 

  • An amateur in science or other technical subjects who persistently advocates flawed theories 

  • The penis. 

  • A twist or turn of the mind; caprice; whim; 

  • An ill-tempered or nasty person. 

  • The act of converting power into motion, by turning a crankshaft. 

  • A bent piece of an axle or shaft, or an attached arm perpendicular, or nearly so, to the end of a shaft or wheel, used to impart a rotation to a wheel or other mechanical device; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion. 

  • a fit of temper or passion. 

adj
  • Full of spirit; brisk; lively; sprightly; overconfident; opinionated. 

  • Liable to capsize because of poorly stowed cargo or insufficient ballast. 

  • Sick; unwell. 

  • Strange, weird, odd. 

curb

verb
  • To bend or curve. 

  • To rein in. 

  • To furnish with a curb, as a well; to restrain by a curb, as a bank of earth. 

  • To crouch; to cringe. 

  • To damage vehicle wheels or tires by running into or over a pavement curb. 

  • To check, restrain or control. 

  • To bring to a stop beside a curb. 

noun
  • Something that checks or restrains; a restraint. 

  • A swelling on the back part of the hind leg of a horse, just behind the lowest part of the hock joint, generally causing lameness. 

  • A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand) 

  • A riding or driving bit for a horse that has rein action which amplifies the pressure in the mouth by leverage advantage placing pressure on the poll via the crown piece of the bridle and chin groove via a curb chain. 

  • A sidewalk, covered or partially enclosed, bordering the airport terminal road system with adjacent paved areas to permit vehicles to off-load or load passengers. 

  • A raised margin along the edge of something, such as a well or the eye of a dome, as a strengthening. 

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