handicap vs pitfall

handicap

noun
  • Something that prevents, hampers, or hinders. 

  • An allowance of a certain amount of time or distance in starting, granted in a race (or other contest of skill) to the competitor possessing disadvantages; or an additional weight or other hindrance imposed upon the one possessing advantages, in order to equalize, as much as possible, the chances of success. 

  • The disadvantage itself, in particular physical or mental disadvantages of people. 

  • A race or similar contest in which there is an allowance of time, distance, weight, or other advantage, to equalize the chances of the competitors. 

verb
  • To estimate betting odds. 

  • To encumber with a handicap in any contest. 

  • To place at disadvantage. 

pitfall

noun
  • An antipattern. 

  • A potential, unsuspected, hidden problem, hazard, or danger that is easily encountered but not immediately obvious. 

  • A type of trap consisting of a concealed pit in the ground, which the victim is supposed to fall into and not be able to get out from. 

  • Subsidence below ground in a mine, which can cause the ground level above to drop. 

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