raze vs take up

raze

verb
  • To scrape as if with a razor. 

  • To destroy; to strike out of existence; to obliterate. 

  • To demolish; to level to the ground. 

noun
  • A swinging fence in a watercourse to prevent cattle passing through. 

take up

verb
  • To shorten by hemming. 

  • To accept (a proposal, offer, request, etc.) from. 

  • To implement, to employ, to put into use. 

  • To review the solutions to a test or other assessment with a class. 

  • To begin doing (an activity) on a regular basis. 

  • To occupy; to consume (space or time). 

  • Synonym of take in (“tighten a belaying rope”) 

  • To resume. 

  • To pick up. 

  • To address (an issue). 

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