quicksilver vs spasmodic

quicksilver

adj
  • Unpredictable, erratic or fickle; mercurial. 

noun
  • The metal mercury. 

  • An amalgam of mercury and tin applied to the backs of mirrors, quicksilvering. 

verb
  • To overlay with quicksilver. 

  • To treat with quicksilver. 

spasmodic

adj
  • Erratic or unsustained. 

  • Convulsive; consisting of spasms. 

  • Intermittent or fitful; occurring in abrupt bursts. 

  • Of or relating to a spasm; resembling a sudden contraction of the muscles. 

  • Of or relating to the spasmodic poets, a group of British Victorian poets who wrote introspective drama in verse. 

noun
  • A medicine for suppressing spasms. 

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