backfire vs flame up

backfire

verb
  • To experience a premature ignition of fuel or an ignition of exhaust gases, making a popping sound. 

  • To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune. 

  • To fire in the opposite direction, for example due to an obstruction in the barrel. 

noun
  • An explosion in other equipment. 

  • An explosion in the exhaust passages of an internal combustion engine. 

  • A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong direction. 

flame up

verb
  • To flare; to become inflamed. 

  • To suddenly become extremely angry. 

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