bending vs hold the line

bending

noun
  • An instance of something being adapted or distorted. 

  • A motion or action that bends. 

hold the line

verb
  • To firmly maintain one's viewpoint, principles, or situation; to refuse to change one's practices or plans. 

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