lose the plot vs steam

lose the plot

verb
  • To lose sight of an important objective or principle; to act contrarily to one's own interests through concentrating on relatively unimportant matters. 

  • Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lose, plot. 

  • To cease to behave in a consistent and/or rational manner. 

steam

verb
  • To move with great or excessive purposefulness. 

  • To be covered with condensed water vapor. 

  • To make angry. 

  • To become angry; to fume; to be incensed. 

  • To rise in vapour; to issue, or pass off, as vapour. 

  • To travel by means of steam power. 

  • To cook with steam. 

  • To produce or vent steam. 

  • To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing. 

noun
  • Pressurized water vapour used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical energy. 

  • Fencing without the use of any electric equipment. 

  • mist, fog 

  • Pent-up anger. 

  • A steam-powered vehicle. 

  • Internal energy for motive power. 

  • Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle. 

  • Exhaled breath into cold air below the dew point of the exhalation 

  • The act of cooking by steaming. 

  • The vapor formed when water changes from the liquid phase to the gas phase. 

adj
  • Old-fashioned; from before the digital age. 

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