duck vs stay

duck

verb
  • To enter a place for a short moment. 

  • To lower (something) into water; to thrust or plunge under liquid and suddenly withdraw. 

  • To lower the volume of (a sound) so that other sounds in the mix can be heard more clearly. 

  • To quickly lower (the head or body), often in order to prevent it from being struck by something. 

  • To go under the surface of water and immediately reappear; to plunge one's head into water or other liquid. 

  • To evade doing something. 

  • To quickly lower the head or body, often in order to prevent it from being struck by something. 

  • To bow. 

noun
  • A long-necked medical urinal for men. 

  • A building intentionally constructed in the shape of an everyday object to which it is related. 

  • One of the weights used to hold a spline in place for the purpose of drawing a curve. 

  • Trousers made of such material. 

  • A tightly-woven cotton fabric used as sailcloth. 

  • A marble to be shot at with another marble (the shooter) in children's games. 

  • The flesh of a duck used as food. 

  • An aquatic bird of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet. 

  • A term of endearment; pet; darling. 

  • A cave passage containing water with low, or no, airspace. 

  • A batsman's score of zero after getting out. (short for duck's egg, since the digit "0" is round like an egg.) 

  • Specifically, an adult female duck; contrasted with drake and with duckling. 

  • A cairn used to mark a trail. 

  • A playing card with the rank of two. 

  • Dear, mate (informal way of addressing a friend or stranger). 

stay

verb
  • To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide. 

  • To live; reside 

  • To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays. 

  • To put off; defer; postpone; delay; keep back. 

  • To brace or support with a stay or stays 

  • To stop; detain; keep back; delay; hinder. 

  • To continue to have a particular quality. 

  • To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship. 

  • To hold out, as in a race or contest; last or persevere to the end; to show staying power. 

  • To restrain; withhold; check; stop. 

  • To hold the attention of. 

  • To cause to cease; to put an end to. 

  • To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady. 

  • To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time. 

  • To tack; put on the other tack. 

adv
  • Steeply. 

noun
  • A guy, rope, or wire supporting or stabilizing a platform, such as a bridge, a pole, such as a tentpole, the mast of a derrick, or other structural element. 

  • Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time. 

  • A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing. 

  • A corset. 

  • Restraint of passion; prudence; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety. 

  • A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence. 

  • A strong rope or wire supporting a mast, and leading from one masthead down to some other, or other part of the vessel. 

  • The transverse piece in a chain-cable link. 

  • A prop; a support. 

  • A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment. 

  • A station or fixed anchorage for vessels. 

adj
  • Steep; ascending. 

  • Difficult to negotiate; not easy to access; sheer. 

  • Stiff; upright; unbending; reserved; haughty; proud. 

  • (of a roof) Steeply pitched. 

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