hold to ransom vs nobble

hold to ransom

verb
  • To hold (someone) hostage until a ransom is paid. 

nobble

verb
  • To steal. 

  • To tamper with (typically a racehorse or greyhound) in order to prevent from winning a race. 

  • To gain influence by corrupt means or intimidation. 

  • To injure or obstruct intentionally. 

noun
  • A deliberate act of injury or obstruction. 

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