pull teeth vs take a run at

pull teeth

verb
  • To do something that is especially difficult or effortful. 

  • To remove teeth, usually because they are diseased or damaged. 

take a run at

verb
  • To attempt to achieve or acquire. 

  • To attack or challenge or to try to attack or challenge. 

How often have the words pull teeth and take a run at occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )