flabbergast vs hit like a ton of bricks

flabbergast

verb

  • To overwhelm with bewilderment; to amaze, confound, or stun, especially in a ludicrous manner. 

noun

  • An awkward person. 

  • Overwhelming confusion, shock, or surprise. 

hit like a ton of bricks

verb

  • To have a sudden and significant impact. 

How often have the words flabbergast and hit like a ton of bricks occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )