free-for-all vs skirmish

free-for-all

noun
  • Deathmatch, sometimes specifically one in which every player is pitted against all the others. 

  • Chaos; a chaotic situation lacking rules or control. 

adj
  • Open to anyone and with no or few rules. 

skirmish

noun
  • A type of outdoor military style game using paintball or similar weapons. 

  • A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war. 

  • Any minor dispute. 

verb
  • To engage in a minor battle or dispute 

How often have the words free-for-all and skirmish occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )