fizzle vs progress

fizzle

verb
  • To sputter or hiss. 

  • To fail to generate the expected yield when exploded during testing. 

  • To decay or die off to nothing; to burn out; to end less successfully than previously hoped. 

noun
  • Failure of an exploding nuclear bomb to meet its expected yield during testing. 

  • An abortive effort; a flop or dud. 

  • A state of agitation or worry. 

  • A spluttering or hissing sound. 

progress

verb
  • To expedite. 

  • To develop. 

  • To move, go, or proceed forward; to advance. 

  • To improve; to become better or more complete. 

noun
  • Specifically, advancement to a higher or more developed state; development, growth. 

  • Movement onwards or forwards or towards a specific objective or direction; advance. 

  • An official journey made by a monarch or other high personage; a state journey, a circuit. 

  • Movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time; development through time. 

  • Science has made extraordinary progress in the last fifty years. 

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