halo vs hoop

halo

noun
  • a circular annulus ring, frequently luminous, often golden, floating above the head 

  • The metaphorical aura of glory, veneration or sentiment which surrounds an idealized entity. 

  • A circular brace used to keep the head and neck in position. 

  • nimbus, a luminous disc, often of gold, around or over the heads of saints, etc., in religious paintings. 

  • The bias caused by the halo effect. 

  • A cloud of gas and other matter surrounding and captured by the gravitational field of a large diffuse astronomical object, such as a galaxy or cluster of galaxies. 

  • A rollbar placed in front of the driver, used to protect the cockpit of an open cockpit racecar. 

  • A circular band of coloured light, visible around the sun or moon etc., caused by reflection and refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere. 

  • Anything resembling this band, such as an effect caused by imperfect developing of photographs. 

verb
  • To encircle with a halo. 

hoop

noun
  • A ring; a circular band; anything resembling a hoop. 

  • The hoopoe. 

  • A circular band of metal used to bind a barrel. 

  • A horizontal stripe on the jersey. 

  • A circle, or combination of circles, of thin whalebone, metal, or other elastic material, used for expanding the skirts of ladies' dresses; (hence, by extension) a hoop petticoat or hoop skirt. 

  • A quart pot; so called because originally bound with hoops, like a barrel. Also, a portion of the contents measured by the distance between the hoops. 

  • The game of basketball. 

  • The rim part of a basketball net. 

  • A circular band of metal, wood, or similar material used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent. 

  • A jockey. 

  • A hoop earring. 

  • An obstacle that must be overcome in order to proceed. 

  • A shout; a whoop, as in whooping cough. 

verb
  • To bind or fasten using a hoop. 

  • To clasp; to encircle; to surround. 

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