lay open vs obscure

lay open

verb
  • To expose or reveal (something). 

  • To publish a patent for initial public review, prior to the formal application for registration. 

  • To open (something) through cutting or scissoring. 

obscure

adj
  • Dark, faint or indistinct. 

  • Difficult to understand. 

  • Not well-known. 

  • Hidden, out of sight or inconspicuous. 

  • Unknown or uncertain; unclear. 

verb
  • To hide, put out of sight etc. 

  • To render obscure; to darken; to make dim; to keep in the dark; to hide; to make less visible, intelligible, legible, glorious, beautiful, or illustrious. 

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