flank vs verge

flank

noun
  • The outermost strip of a road. 

  • The flesh between the last rib and the hip; the side. 

  • The sides of a bastion perpendicular to the wall from which the bastion projects. 

  • The wing, one side of the pitch. 

  • That part of the acting surface of a gear wheel tooth that lies within the pitch line. 

  • A cut of meat from the flank of an animal. 

  • The side of something, in general senses. 

  • The extreme left or right edge of a military formation, army etc. 

verb
  • To be placed to the side(s) of something (usually in terms of two objects, one on each side). 

  • To defend the flank(s) of. 

  • To attack the flank(s) of. 

  • To place to the side(s) of. 

adj
  • Maximum. Historically faster than full speed (the most a vessel can sustain without excessive engine wear or risk of damage), now frequently used interchangeably. Typically used in an emergency or during an attack. 

verge

noun
  • The grassy area between the footpath and the street; a tree lawn; a grassed strip running alongside either side of an outback road. 

  • A rod or staff of office, e.g. of a verger. 

  • The stick or wand with which persons were formerly admitted tenants, by holding it in the hand and swearing fealty to the lord. Such tenants were called tenants by the verge. 

  • An edge or border. 

  • An old measure of land: a virgate or yardland. 

  • The spindle of a watch balance, especially one with pallets, as in the old vertical escapement. 

  • The shaft of a column, or a small ornamental shaft. 

  • A circumference; a circle; a ring. 

  • An extreme limit beyond which something specific will happen. 

  • The eaves or edge of the roof that projects over the gable of a roof. 

verb
  • To be or come very close; to border; to approach. 

  • To bend or incline; to tend downward; to slope. 

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