curb vs tarmac

curb

noun
  • 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. 

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

verb
  • To rein in. 

  • To bend or curve. 

  • 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. 

tarmac

noun
  • The area of an airport, other than the runway, where planes park or maneuver. 

  • The driveable surface of a road. 

  • Tarmacadam. 

  • Any bituminous road surfacing material. 

verb
  • To pave with tarmacadam or a similar material. 

  • To spend time idling on a runway, usually waiting for takeoff clearance. 

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