curb vs unbend

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. 

unbend

verb
  • To remove a bend so as to make, or allow to become, straight. 

  • To cast loose or untie 

  • To cease to be bent; to become straight. 

  • To relax in exertion, attention, severity, or the like 

  • To release (a load) from a strain or from exertion; to set at ease for a time; to relax. 

  • To unfasten sails from the spars or stays to which are attached for use. 

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