foul vs mean

foul

adj
  • Detestable, unpleasant, loathsome. 

  • Entangled and therefore restricting free movement, not clear. 

  • Obscene, vulgar or abusive. 

  • Disgusting, repulsive; causing disgust. 

  • (with "of") Positioned on, in, or near enough to (a specified area) so as to obstruct it. 

  • Dishonest or not conforming to the established rules and customs of a game, conflict, test, etc. 

  • Unpleasant, stormy or rainy. 

  • Covered with, or containing unclean matter; dirty. 

  • Outside of the base lines; in foul territory. 

verb
  • To make contact with an opposing player in order to gain advantage. 

  • To become clogged. 

  • To become entangled. 

  • To come into contact or collide with. 

  • To make dirty. 

  • To besmirch. 

  • To hit a ball outside of the baselines. 

  • To hit outside of the baselines. 

  • To clog or obstruct. 

  • To entangle. 

  • To commit a foul. 

noun
  • A breach of the rules of a game, especially one involving inappropriate contact with an opposing player in order to gain an advantage; for example, tripping someone up in soccer, or contact of any kind in basketball. 

  • A foul ball, a ball which has been hit outside of the base lines. 

  • A (usually accidental) contact between a bowler and the lane before the bowler has released the ball. 

mean

adj
  • Ungenerous; stingy; tight-fisted. 

  • Intending to cause harm, successfully or otherwise; bearing ill will towards another. 

  • Low in quality or degree; inferior; poor; shabby. 

  • Having the mean (see noun below) as its value; average. 

  • Disobliging; pettily offensive or unaccommodating. 

  • Accomplished with great skill; deft; hard to compete with. 

  • Of a common or low origin, grade, or quality; common; humble. 

  • Of little value or worth; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable. 

  • Powerful; fierce; strong. 

  • Without dignity of mind; destitute of honour; low-minded; spiritless; base. 

  • Difficult, tricky. 

verb
  • To be of some level of importance. 

  • To have as intentions of a given kind. 

  • To intend an ensuing comment or statement as an explanation.https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/i_mean%20I%20mean 

  • To cause or produce (a given result); to bring about (a given result). 

  • Of a word, symbol etc: to have reference to, to signify. 

  • To have conviction in (something said or expressed); to be sincere in (what one says). 

  • Of a person (or animal etc): to intend to express, to imply, to hint at, to allude. 

  • To intend (something) for a given purpose or fate; to predestine. 

  • To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention. 

  • To lament. 

  • To convey (a given sense); to signify, or indicate (an object or idea). 

noun
  • The middle part of three-part polyphonic music; now specifically, the alto part in polyphonic music; an alto instrument. 

  • Something which is intermediate or in the middle; an intermediate value or range of values; a medium. 

  • The average of a set of values, calculated by summing them together and dividing by the number of terms; the arithmetic mean. 

  • Any function of multiple variables that satisfies certain properties and yields a number representative of its arguments; or, the number so yielded; a measure of central tendency. 

  • Either of the two numbers in the middle of a conventionally presented proportion, as 2 and 3 in 1:2=3:6. 

  • A method or course of action used to achieve some result. 

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