cushion vs plaster cast

cushion

noun
  • An engraver's pad. 

  • a sufficient quantity of an intangible object (like points or minutes) to allow for some of those points, for example, to be lost without hurting one's chances for successfully completing an objective. 

  • A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support; for sitting on, kneeling on, resting one's head on etc. 

  • A pad on which gilders cut gold leaf. 

  • The lip around a table in cue sports which absorbs some of the impact of the billiard balls and bounces them back. 

  • A mass of steam in the end of the cylinder of a steam engine to receive the impact of the piston. 

  • Money kept in reserve. 

  • The pillow used in making bone lace. 

  • A pad supporting a woman's hair. 

  • The rubber of an electrical machine. 

  • The dancer in the cushion dance who currently holds the cushion, or the dance itself. 

verb
  • To furnish with cushions. 

  • To absorb or deaden the impact of. 

  • To seat or place on, or as on a cushion. 

  • To conceal or cover up, as under a cushion. 

plaster cast

noun
  • A copy of a piece of art or other object cast in plaster. 

  • A cast made of a stiff material (often plaster of Paris and gauze) in order to immobilize a broken bone for the period of healing. 

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