lay figure vs scum

lay figure

noun
  • An unimportant person; a character (especially in fiction) lacking individuality. 

  • A jointed model of the human body used by artists, or to display clothes. 

scum

noun
  • A reprehensible person or persons. 

  • Semen. 

  • A layer of impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid (especially molten metal or water). 

  • A greenish water vegetation (such as algae), usually found floating on the surface of ponds 

  • The topmost liquid layer of a cesspool or septic tank. 

verb
  • To remove (something) as scum. 

  • To startscum or savescum. 

  • To remove the layer of scum from (a liquid etc.). 

  • To become covered with scum. 

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