floodgate vs hydrant

floodgate

noun
  • An adjustable gate or valve used to control the flow of water through a sluice. 

  • Anything that controls or limits an outpouring of people, emotion etc. 

hydrant

noun
  • An outlet from a liquid/fluid main often consisting of an upright pipe with a valve attached from which fluid (e.g. water or fuel) can be tapped. 

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