gruel vs scum

gruel

noun
  • semen 

  • A thin, watery porridge, formerly eaten primarily by the poor and the ill. 

  • punishment 

  • something that lacks substance 

verb
  • ejaculate 

  • To exhaust, use up, disable 

  • to punish 

scum

noun
  • Semen. 

  • A layer of impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid (especially molten metal or water). 

  • A greenish water vegetation (such as algae), usually found floating on the surface of ponds 

  • A reprehensible person or persons. 

  • The topmost liquid layer of a cesspool or septic tank. 

verb
  • To remove (something) as scum. 

  • To startscum or savescum. 

  • To remove the layer of scum from (a liquid etc.). 

  • To become covered with scum. 

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