pole vs rail

pole

verb
  • To convey on poles. 

  • To propel by pushing with poles, to push with a pole. 

  • To furnish with poles for support. 

  • To identify something quite precisely using a telescope. 

  • To stir, as molten glass, with a pole. 

  • To strike (the ball) very hard. 

  • To induce piezoelectricity in (a substance) by aligning the dipoles. 

noun
  • A telescope used to identify birds, aeroplanes or wildlife. 

  • Either of the two points on the earth's surface around which it rotates; also, similar points on any other rotating object. 

  • A construction by which an animal is harnessed to a carriage. 

  • A gun. 

  • Either of the states that characterize a bipolar disorder. 

  • A point of magnetic focus, especially each of the two opposing such points of a magnet (designated north and south). 

  • A fixed point relative to other points or lines. 

  • Originally, a stick; now specifically, a long and slender piece of metal or (especially) wood, used for various construction or support purposes. 

  • A type of basic fishing rod. 

  • A long sports implement used for pole-vaulting; now made of glassfiber or carbon fiber, formerly also metal, bamboo and wood have been used. 

  • Pole position. 

  • For a meromorphic function f(z), any point a for which f(z)→∞ as z→a. 

  • A unit of length, equal to a rod (¹⁄₄ chain or 5+¹⁄₂ yards). 

  • A penis. 

  • A contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves. 

rail

verb
  • To enclose with rails or a railing. 

  • To range in a line. 

  • To place on a track. 

  • To sexually penetrate in a rough manner. 

  • To travel by railway. 

  • To complain violently (against, about). 

noun
  • A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing. 

  • A large line (portion or serving of a powdery illegal drug). 

  • A railroad; a railway, as a means of transportation. 

  • A conductor maintained at a fixed electrical potential relative to ground, to which other circuit components are connected. 

  • Any of several birds in the family Rallidae. 

  • One of the lengthwise edges of a surfboard. 

  • A horizontal piece of wood that serves to separate sections of a door or window. 

  • The metal bar forming part of the track for a railroad. 

  • A vertical section on one side of a web page. 

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