give a play vs plead

give a play

plead

verb
  • To present (an argument or a plea), especially in a legal case. 

  • To beg, beseech, or implore. 

  • To offer by way of excuse. 

  • To discuss by arguments. 

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