ply vs scrim

ply

noun
  • A strand that, twisted together with other strands, makes up rope or yarn. 

  • In two-player sequential games, a "half-turn" or a move made by one of the players. 

  • A layer of material. 

  • A bent; a direction. 

  • A condition, a state. 

verb
  • To work at (something) diligently. 

  • To press upon; to urge persistently. 

  • To persist in offering something to, especially for the purpose of inducement or persuasion. 

  • To travel over (a route) regularly. 

  • To bend, to flex; to be bent by something, to give way or yield (to a force, etc.). 

  • To wield or use (a tool, a weapon, etc.) steadily or vigorously. 

scrim

noun
  • A woven, nonwoven or knitted fabric composed of continuous strands of material used for reinforcing or strengthening membranes. 

  • A theater drop that appears opaque when a scene in front is lighted and transparent or translucent when a scene in back is lighted. 

  • A sheet of gauze etc. used to reduce the intensity of light. 

  • A kind of light cotton or linen fabric, often woven in openwork patterns, used for curtains, etc,. 

  • A large military scarf, usually camouflage coloured and used for concealment when not used as a scarf. 

  • Thin canvas glued on the inside of panels to prevent shrinking, checking, etc. 

  • A practice match between one or more organized teams usually in preparation for a more competitive format, such as a tournament. 

verb
  • To participate in a scrim. 

  • To use a scrim. 

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