punching bag vs rival

punching bag

noun
  • A person serving as an object of abuse. 

  • A tough bag, usually cylindrical, filled with air, sand, or other material, often suspended so that it swings freely, which is punched or kicked when practising sports such as boxing or martial arts. 

rival

noun
  • Someone or something with similar claims of quality or distinction as another. 

  • A competitor (person, team, company, etc.) with the same goal as another, or striving to attain the same thing. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary goal of a competitor. 

adj
  • Having the same pretensions or claims; standing in competition for superiority. 

verb
  • To be equal to, or match, or to surpass another. 

  • To oppose or compete with. 

  • To strive to equal or excel; to emulate. 

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