pretext vs shift

pretext

verb
  • To employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else. 

noun
  • A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense. 

shift

verb
  • To practice indirect or evasive methods. 

  • To change position. 

  • To manipulate a binary number by moving all of its digits left or right; compare rotate. 

  • To move the keys of a typewriter over in order to type capital letters and special characters. 

  • In violin-playing, to move the left hand from its original position next to the nut. 

  • To dispose of. 

  • To remove the first value from an array. 

  • To change gears (in a car). 

  • To hurry; to move quickly. 

  • To change the reality one's consciousness resides in through meditation or other means. 

  • To move from one place to another; to redistribute. 

  • To change in form or character; switch. 

  • To change residence; to leave and live elsewhere. 

  • To switch to a character entry mode for capital letters and special characters. 

  • To engage in sexual petting. 

noun
  • In violin-playing, any position of the left hand except that nearest the nut. 

  • A change of workers, now specifically a set group of workers or period of working time. 

  • An instance of the use of such a code or character. 

  • The act of kissing passionately. 

  • A type of women's undergarment of dress length worn under dresses or skirts, a slip or chemise. 

  • A bit shift. 

  • The extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break joints. 

  • A breaking off and dislocation of a seam; a fault. 

  • A mutation in which the DNA or RNA from two different sources (such as viruses or bacteria) combine. 

  • The gear mechanism in a motor vehicle. 

  • A period of time in which one's consciousness resides in another reality, usually achieved through meditation or other means. 

  • An act of shifting; a slight movement or change. 

  • A control code or character used to change between different character sets. 

  • An infield shift. 

  • A simple straight-hanging, loose-fitting dress. 

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