ream vs skim

ream

verb
  • To remove (material) by reaming. 

  • To sexually penetrate in a rough and painful way. 

  • To yell at or berate. 

  • To enlarge a hole, especially using a reamer; to bore a hole wider. 

  • To shape or form, especially using a reamer. 

  • To cream; mantle; foam; froth. 

  • To remove burrs and debris from a freshly bored hole. 

noun
  • Cream; also, the creamlike froth on ale or other liquor; froth or foam in general. 

  • A bundle, package, or quantity of paper, nowadays usually containing 500 sheets. 

  • An abstract large amount of something. 

skim

verb
  • To scrape off; to remove (something) from a surface 

  • To surreptitiously scan a payment card in order to obtain its information for fraudulent purposes. 

  • To pass near the surface of; to brush the surface of; to glide swiftly along the surface of. 

  • To read quickly, skipping some detail. 

  • To throw an object so it bounces on water. 

  • To ricochet. 

  • To hasten along with superficial attention. 

  • To become coated over. 

  • To clear a liquid from (scum or substance floating or lying on it), especially the cream that floats on top of fresh milk. 

  • To pass lightly; to glide along in an even, smooth course; to glide along near the surface. 

  • To put on a finishing coat of plaster. 

  • To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or lying on it, by means of a utensil that passes just beneath the surface. 

  • To steal money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection. 

adj
  • Having lowered fat content. 

noun
  • Skim milk. 

  • That which is skimmed off. 

  • The act of skimming. 

  • A cursory reading, skipping the details. 

  • Theft of money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection. 

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