reel vs stay

reel

verb
  • To back off, step away, or sway backwards unsteadily and suddenly. 

  • To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself. 

  • To wind on a reel. 

  • To produce a mechanical insect-like song, as in grass warblers. 

  • To unwind, to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else. 

  • To make or cause to reel. 

  • To spin or revolve repeatedly. 

  • To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy. 

  • To be in shock. 

noun
  • A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with a harvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by the knives. 

  • A lively dance originating in Scotland; also, the music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel. 

  • A kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound. 

  • A short compilation of sample film work used as a demonstrative resume in the entertainment industry. 

  • A shaky or unsteady gait. 

stay

verb
  • To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays. 

  • To live; reside 

  • To put off; defer; postpone; delay; keep back. 

  • To brace or support with a stay or stays 

  • To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide. 

  • To stop; detain; keep back; delay; hinder. 

  • To continue to have a particular quality. 

  • To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship. 

  • To hold out, as in a race or contest; last or persevere to the end; to show staying power. 

  • To restrain; withhold; check; stop. 

  • To hold the attention of. 

  • To cause to cease; to put an end to. 

  • To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady. 

  • To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time. 

  • To tack; put on the other tack. 

adv
  • Steeply. 

adj
  • Steep; ascending. 

  • Difficult to negotiate; not easy to access; sheer. 

  • Stiff; upright; unbending; reserved; haughty; proud. 

  • (of a roof) Steeply pitched. 

noun
  • A guy, rope, or wire supporting or stabilizing a platform, such as a bridge, a pole, such as a tentpole, the mast of a derrick, or other structural element. 

  • Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time. 

  • A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing. 

  • A corset. 

  • Restraint of passion; prudence; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety. 

  • A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence. 

  • A strong rope or wire supporting a mast, and leading from one masthead down to some other, or other part of the vessel. 

  • The transverse piece in a chain-cable link. 

  • A prop; a support. 

  • A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment. 

  • A station or fixed anchorage for vessels. 

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