gammon vs take up

gammon

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). 

noun
  • Backgammon (the game itself). 

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

  • 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. 

take up

verb
  • Synonym of take in (“tighten a belaying rope”) 

  • To accept (a proposal, offer, request, etc.) from. 

  • To implement, to employ, to put into use. 

  • To review the solutions to a test or other assessment with a class. 

  • To begin doing (an activity) on a regular basis. 

  • To occupy; to consume (space or time). 

  • To resume. 

  • To pick up. 

  • To address (an issue). 

  • To shorten by hemming. 

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