goalpost vs hoop

goalpost

noun
  • One of the two vertical side poles of a goal. 

  • A rule or target that is "moved" (changed) unfairly; see move the goalposts. 

  • The tall Y-shaped upright, now usually of fiberglass, at either end of the playing field, through which a football must go in order for a field goal to be scored. (They were originally H-shaped, with one wooden post on either side.) 

hoop

noun
  • A horizontal stripe on the jersey. 

  • The hoopoe. 

  • A circular band of metal used to bind a barrel. 

  • A ring; a circular band; anything resembling a hoop. 

  • A circle, or combination of circles, of thin whalebone, metal, or other elastic material, used for expanding the skirts of ladies' dresses; (hence, by extension) a hoop petticoat or hoop skirt. 

  • A quart pot; so called because originally bound with hoops, like a barrel. Also, a portion of the contents measured by the distance between the hoops. 

  • The game of basketball. 

  • The rim part of a basketball net. 

  • A circular band of metal, wood, or similar material used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent. 

  • A jockey. 

  • A hoop earring. 

  • An obstacle that must be overcome in order to proceed. 

  • A shout; a whoop, as in whooping cough. 

verb
  • To bind or fasten using a hoop. 

  • To clasp; to encircle; to surround. 

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