dastard vs hero

dastard

noun
  • A malicious coward; a dishonorable sneak. 

adj
  • Meanly shrinking from danger, cowardly, dastardly. 

verb
  • To dastardize. 

hero

noun
  • Somebody who possesses great bravery and carries out extraordinary or noble deeds. 

  • The eye-catching top portion of a web page, sometimes including a hero image; the portion above the fold. 

  • The product chosen from several candidates to be photographed, as in food advertising, or with props used in a movie. 

  • A role model. 

  • The protagonist in a work of fiction. 

  • A large sandwich made from meats and cheeses; a hero sandwich. 

  • The current player, especially an hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: villain (“any opponent player”). Not to be confused with hero call (“a weak call against a supposed bluff”). 

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