dry rot vs smut

dry rot

noun
  • A fungal infection which affects plants, in particular potatoes. 

  • The crumbly, friable decayed portions of wooden members of buildings, especially at or below grade, usually caused by a fungal infection. 

  • Any progression of decay, corruption, or obsolescence. 

smut

noun
  • Any of a range of fungi, mostly Ustilaginomycetes, that cause plant disease in grasses, including cereal crops; the disease so caused. 

  • Bad, soft coal containing earthy matter, found in the immediate locality of faults. 

  • Obscene language; ribaldry; obscenity. 

  • A flake of ash or soot. 

  • Soot. 

  • Sexually vulgar material; something that is sexual in a dirty way; pornographic material. 

verb
  • To stain (or be stained) with soot or other dirt. 

  • To clear of the smut fungus. 

  • To taint (grain, etc.) with the smut fungus. 

  • To become tainted by the smut fungus. 

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