gammon vs sheer

gammon

noun
  • A rope fastening a bowsprit to the stem of a ship (usually called a gammoning). 

  • Backgammon (the game itself). 

  • A victory in backgammon achieved when the opponent has not borne off a single stone. 

  • A cut of quick-cured pork leg. 

  • A middle-aged or older right-wing, reactionary white man, or such men collectively. 

verb
  • To lash with ropes (on a ship). 

  • To cure bacon by salting. 

  • To beat by a gammon (without the opponent bearing off a stone). 

sheer

noun
  • An abrupt swerve from the course of a ship. 

  • A sheer curtain or fabric. 

  • The curve of the main deck or gunwale from bow to stern. 

adj
  • Used to emphasize the amount or degree of something. 

  • Very steep; almost vertical or perpendicular. 

  • Downright; complete; pure. 

  • Very thin or transparent. 

verb
  • To swerve from a course. 

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