crow vs preen

crow

verb
  • To make the shrill sound characteristic of a rooster; to make a sound in this manner, either in gaiety, joy, pleasure, or defiance. 

  • To test the reed of a double reed instrument by placing the reed alone in the mouth and blowing it. 

  • To shout in exultation or defiance; to brag. 

noun
  • The cry of the bird known in the US as a rooster and in British English as a cockerel. 

  • A gangplank (corvus) used by the Ancient Roman navy to board enemy ships. 

  • The emblem of an eagle, a sign of military rank. 

  • The mesentery of an animal. 

  • A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles; it has a harsh, croaking call. 

  • Any of various dark-coloured nymphalid butterflies of the genus Euploea. 

  • An ill-tempered and obstinate woman, or one who otherwise has features resembling the bird; a harpy. 

  • A black person. 

  • A bar of iron with a beak, crook or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar. 

preen

verb
  • To show off, posture, or smarm. 

  • To spend time making oneself attractive and admiring one's appearance, e.g. in front of a mirror. 

  • To trim up, as trees. 

  • To improve the appearance of; groom; prettify. 

  • To flatter. 

  • To comb; to make orderly. 

  • To groom; to trim or dress with the beak, as the feathers. 

  • To pin; fasten. 

noun
  • bodkin; brooch 

  • A forked tool used by clothiers for dressing cloth. 

  • pin 

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