masquerade vs show

masquerade

noun
  • An act of living under false pretenses; a concealment of something by a false or unreal show; a disguise, a pretence; also, a pretentious display. 

  • The act of wearing a mask or dressing up in a costume for, or as if for, a masquerade ball. 

  • An assembly of varied, often fanciful, things. 

  • An assembly or party of people wearing (usually elaborate or fanciful) masks and costumes, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions. 

  • A cosplay event at which costumed attendees perform skits. 

verb
  • To conceal (someone) with, or as if with, a mask; to disguise. 

  • To take part in a masquerade; to assemble in masks and costumes; (loosely) to wear a disguise. 

  • To pass off as a different person or a person with qualities that one does not possess; also, to make a pretentious show of being what one is not. 

show

noun
  • Outward appearance; wileful or deceptive appearance. 

  • An exhibition of items. 

  • A broadcast program, especially a light entertainment program. 

  • A project or presentation. 

  • Mere display or pomp with no substance. (Usually seen in the phrases "all show" and "for show".) 

  • A play, dance, or other entertainment. 

  • A battle; local conflict. 

  • The major leagues. 

  • A discharge, from the vagina, of mucus streaked with blood, occurring a short time before labor. 

  • A demonstration. 

  • An agricultural show. 

  • A movie. 

verb
  • To guide or escort. 

  • To put in an appearance; show up. 

  • To have an enlarged belly and thus be recognizable as pregnant. 

  • To indicate (a fact) to be true; to demonstrate. 

  • To finish third, especially of horses or dogs. 

  • To reveal one's hand of cards. 

  • To bestow; to confer. 

  • To display, to have somebody see (something). 

  • To be visible; to be seen; to appear. 

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