bribe vs pay off

bribe

verb
  • To gain by a bribe; to induce as by a bribe. 

  • To give a bribe to; specifically, to ask a person to do something against his/her original will, in exchange for some type of reward or relief from potential trouble. 

noun
  • Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law. 

  • That which seduces; seduction; allurement. 

pay off

verb
  • To bribe, especially to deter oversight. 

  • To pay back; to repay. 

  • To pay back (repay, pay off) the entirety of a loan, thereby effecting the release of a lien on. 

  • To fall to leeward, as the head of a vessel under sail. 

  • To become worthwhile; to produce a net benefit. 

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