hold the line vs severe

hold the line

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

severe

adj
  • Very bad or intense. 

  • Sober, plain in appearance, austere. 

  • Strict or harsh. 

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