goose vs root about

goose

verb
  • To sharply poke or pinch the buttocks of (a person). 

  • To gently accelerate (an automobile or machine), or give repeated small taps on the accelerator. 

  • To stimulate; to spur. 

  • Of private-hire taxi drivers, to pick up a passenger who has not booked a cab, in violation of UK licensing conditions. 

  • To hiss (a performer) off the stage. 

noun
  • Any of various grazing waterfowl of the family Anatidae, which have feathers and webbed feet and are capable of flying, swimming, and walking on land, and which are bigger than ducks. 

  • An old English board game in which players moved counters along a board, earning a double move when they reached the picture of a goose. 

  • The flesh of the goose used as food. 

  • A silly person. 

  • A female goose (sense 1). 

root about

verb
  • To forage by poking the snout here and there. 

  • To rummage; to look for something in a somewhat aimless fashion. 

  • To search for something in a similar manner. 

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