ovation vs pat on the back

ovation

verb

  • To give (someone) an ovation (prolonged enthusiastic applause). 

noun

  • A (ceremony for the) recognition of some achievement. 

  • Prolonged enthusiastic applause. 

  • A victory ceremony of less importance than a triumph. 

pat on the back

verb

  • To praise or congratulate. 

noun

  • Praise, congratulations. 

How often have the words ovation and pat on the back occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )