gypsy vs roving

gypsy

noun
  • A move in contra dancing in which two dancers walk in a circle around each other while maintaining eye contact (but not touching as in a swing). (Compare whole gyp, half gyp, and gypsy meltdown, in which this step precedes a swing.) 

  • An itinerant person or any person, not necessarily Romani; a tinker, a traveller or a carny. 

  • A member of a Broadway musical chorus line. 

adj
  • Of or having the qualities of an itinerant person or group with qualities traditionally ascribed to Romani people; making a living from dishonest practices or theft etc. 

verb
  • To roam around the country like a gypsy. 

  • To perform the gypsy step in contra dancing. 

roving

noun
  • The process of giving the first twist to yarn. 

  • A long and narrow bundle of fibre, usually used to spin woollen yarn or in felting. 

adj
  • Of the eyes or gaze, inspecting all over; not staying fixed on on subject. 

  • Moving about; having no fixed or permanent abode; travelling from place to place. 

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