gig vs palanquin

gig

noun
  • A two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse. 

  • Originally (music), a performing engagement by a musician or musical group; (by extension, film, television, theater) a job or role for a performer. 

  • A demerit received for some infraction of a military deportment or dress code. 

  • Synonym of fishgig or fizgig (“a spear with a barb on the end of it, used for catching fish, frogs, or other small animals”). 

  • Any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis. 

  • Any unit of measurement having the SI prefix giga-. 

  • A small, narrow, open boat carried in a larger ship, and used for transportation between the ship and the shore, another vessel, etc. 

  • A similar rowing boat or sailboat, especially one used for racing; specifically, a six-oared sea rowing boat commonly found in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 

verb
  • To play (a musical instrument) at a gig. 

  • To catch or fish with a gig or fizgig. 

  • To work at any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis. 

  • Sometimes followed by it: to ride in a gig (“a two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse”). 

  • To spear (fish, etc.) with a gig or fizgig. 

  • To engage in a musical performance, act in a theatre production, etc. 

  • To make a joke, often condescendingly, at the expense of (someone); to make fun of. 

  • To impose a demerit (on someone) for an infraction of a military deportment or dress code. 

palanquin

noun
  • A covered type of litter for a stretched-out passenger, carried on four poles on the shoulders of four or more bearers, as formerly used (also by colonials) in eastern Asia. 

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