billet vs quay

billet

noun
  • An allocated space or berth in a boat or ship. 

  • A short cutting of sugar cane produced by a harvester or used for planting. 

  • A sealed ticket for a draw or lottery. 

  • An ornament in Norman work, resembling a billet of wood, either square or round. 

  • A loop that receives the end of a buckled strap. 

  • Berth; position. 

  • A short piece of wood, especially one used as firewood. 

  • A strap that enters a buckle. 

  • A short informal letter. 

  • A written order to quarter soldiers. 

  • A rectangle used as a charge on an escutcheon. 

  • Temporary lodgings in a private residence, such as is organised for members of a visiting sports team. 

  • A place where a soldier is assigned to lodge. 

  • A semi-finished length of metal. 

verb
  • To lodge, or be quartered, in a private house. 

  • To direct, by a ticket or note, where to lodge. 

  • To lodge soldiers, or guests, usually by order. 

quay

noun
  • A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels; a wharf. 

verb
  • To land or tie up at a quay or similar structure, especially used in the phrase "quay up". 

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