deal vs pledge

deal

verb
  • To sell, especially to sell illicit drugs. 

  • To trade professionally (followed by in). 

  • To handle, to manage, to cope. 

  • To be concerned with. 

  • To pitch. 

  • To distribute among a number of recipients, to give out as one’s portion or share. 

  • To have dealings or business. 

  • To administer or give out, as in small portions. 

  • To distribute cards to the players in a game. 

  • To conduct oneself, to behave. 

  • deliver damage, a blow, strike or cut. To inflict. 

noun
  • A transaction offered which is financially beneficial; a bargain. 

  • An agreement between parties; an arrangement. 

  • The distribution of cards to players; a player's turn for this. 

  • Male genitalia. 

  • A plank of softwood (fir or pine board). 

  • A particular instance of trading (buying or selling; exchanging; bartering); a transaction. 

  • A thing, an unspecified or unidentified object. 

  • Wood that is easy to saw (from conifers such as pine or fir). 

  • A situation, occasion, or event. 

  • An indefinite quantity or amount; a lot (now usually qualified by great or good). 

adj
  • Made of deal. 

pledge

verb
  • To deposit something as a security; to pawn. 

  • To make a solemn promise (to do something). 

  • To give assurance of friendship by the act of drinking; to drink to one's health. 

noun
  • A solemn promise to do something. 

  • The personal property so pledged, to be kept until the debt is paid. 

  • A bailment of personal property to secure payment of a debt without transfer of title. 

  • A person who has taken a pledge of allegiance to a college fraternity, but is not yet formally approved. 

  • A drinking toast. 

  • An asset or person temporarily handed over to guarantee the fulfilment of something promised, under threat of permanent loss of the thing handed over; surety, security, hostage. 

  • A promise to abstain from drinking alcohol. 

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