lay off vs lease

lay off

verb
  • To cease, quit, stop (doing something). 

  • In painting, to apply gentle strokes to smooth a wet coat of paint so as to remove visible roller- or brush-marks, commonly using a dry brush; a similar technique, but using a loaded laying-off brush, may produce a smooth coat of paint when using a roller or the usual brush techniques would leave marks. 

  • To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk. 

  • To plan out (a navigational course) using a chart. 

  • (of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume or through no fault of the worker, often with a severance package. 

  • To stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone. 

lease

verb
  • To release; let go; unloose. 

  • To tell lies; tell lies about; slander; calumniate. 

  • To glean. 

  • To glean, gather up leavings. 

  • To grant a lease as a landlord; to let. 

  • To gather. 

  • To pick, select, pick out; to pick up. 

  • To hold a lease as a tenant. 

noun
  • An interest in land granting exclusive use or occupation of real estate for a limited period; a leasehold. 

  • An interest granting exclusive use of any thing, such as a car or boat. 

  • The period of such an interest. 

  • The document containing such a contract or deed. 

  • An open pasture or common. 

  • The contract or deed under which such an interest is granted. 

  • The place at which the warp-threads cross on a loom. 

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