flood tide vs tidal wave

flood tide

noun
  • The period between low tide and the next high tide in which the sea is rising. 

  • The highest point of something; a climax. 

tidal wave

noun
  • A large and sudden rise and fall in the tide. 

  • A large, sudden, and disastrous wave of water caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean; a tsunami. (See Usage notes below.) 

  • A crest of ocean water resulting from tidal forces. 

  • A sudden and powerful surge. 

  • A large, sudden inundation of water from the storm surge, or waves of that surge; a sudden surge of river water. 

How often have the words flood tide and tidal wave occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )