deny vs fess

deny

verb
  • To assert that something is not true. 

  • To disclaim connection with, responsibility for, etc.; to refuse to acknowledge; to disown; to abjure; to disavow. 

  • To refuse to give or grant something to someone. 

  • To disallow or reject. 

  • To take something away from someone; to deprive of. 

  • To prevent from scoring. 

fess

adj
  • Of animals, bad-tempered, fierce. 

  • Lively; active; strong. 

  • Proud; conceited. 

verb
  • To confess; to admit. 

noun
  • A horizontal band across the middle of the shield. 

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