nail vs rivet

nail

verb
  • To stud or boss with nails, or as if with nails. 

  • To expose as a sham. 

  • To catch. 

  • Of a male, to engage in sexual intercourse with. 

  • To spike, as a cannon. 

  • To hit (a target) effectively with some weapon. 

  • To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully. 

  • To fix (an object) to another object using a nail. 

  • To drive a nail. 

  • To nail down: to make certain, or confirm. 

noun
  • A spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials. The nail is generally driven through two or more layers of material by means of impacts from a hammer or other device. It is then held in place by friction. 

  • The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds. 

  • The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera. 

  • A round pedestal on which merchants once carried out their business, such as the four nails outside The Exchange, Bristol. 

  • An archaic English unit of length equivalent to ¹⁄₂₀ of an ell or ¹⁄₁₆ of a yard (2+¹⁄₄ inches or 5.715 cm). 

  • The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals. 

  • The claw of a bird or other animal. 

rivet

verb
  • To make firm or immovable. 

  • To command the attention of. 

  • To attach or fasten parts by using rivets. 

  • To install rivets. 

noun
  • Any fixed point or certain basis. 

  • A cylindrical mechanical fastener that attaches multiple parts together by fitting through a hole and deforming the head(s) at either end. 

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