kiss of death vs plague

kiss of death

noun
  • Something that may seem good and favourable but that actually brings ruin to hopes, plans, etc. 

  • A kiss on the cheek that signifies the death of the receiver, as delivered by a mob boss or one with such influence. 

plague

noun
  • A grave nuisance, whatever greatly irritates. 

  • A group of common grackles. 

  • A widespread affliction, calamity or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution. 

  • The bubonic plague, the pestilent disease caused by the virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis. 

  • An epidemic or pandemic caused by any pestilence, but specifically by the above disease. 

verb
  • To harass, pester or annoy someone persistently or incessantly. 

  • To afflict with a disease or other calamity. 

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