ear to the ground vs keen

ear to the ground

noun
  • The practice or characteristic of carefully gathering information; a state or mindset of attentiveness. 

  • Pursuing the practice or having the characteristic of carefully gathering information; well-informed. 

keen

noun
  • A prolonged wail for a deceased person. 

verb
  • To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry. 

  • To mourn. 

  • To make cold, to sharpen. 

  • To utter a keen. 

adj
  • Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested. 

  • Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp. 

  • Having a fine edge or point; sharp. 

  • Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp. 

  • Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive. 

  • Acrimonious, bitter, piercing. 

  • Fierce, intense, vehement. 

How often have the words ear to the ground and keen occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )