prop vs rod

prop

noun
  • The propeller of an aircraft. 

  • An item placed within an advertisement in order to suggest a style of living etc. 

  • An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform. 

  • An object placed against or under another, to support it; anything that supports. 

  • Any of the seashells in the game of props. 

  • A proposition, especially on an election-day ballot. 

  • The player on either side of the hooker in a scrum. 

  • propellant (“rocket fuel”) 

verb
  • To support or shore up something. 

  • To play rugby in the prop position. 

  • To manually start the engine of a propeller-driven aircraft with no electric starter by pulling vigorously on one of the propeller blades using the hands, so that the propeller can catch ignition. 

  • To position the feet of (a person) while sitting, lying down, or reclining so that the knees are elevated at a higher level. 

rod

noun
  • A Cuisenaire rod. 

  • A rod cell: a rod-shaped cell in the eye that is sensitive to light. 

  • A hot rod, an automobile or other passenger motor vehicle modified to run faster and often with exterior cosmetic alterations, especially one based originally on a pre-1940s model or (currently) denoting any older vehicle thus modified. 

  • A coupling rod or connecting rod, which links the driving wheels of a steam locomotive, and some diesel shunters and early electric locomotives. 

  • A long slender usually tapering pole used for angling; fishing rod. 

  • A straight, round stick, shaft, bar, cane, or staff. 

  • A straight bar that unites moving parts of a machine, for holding parts together as a connecting rod or for transferring power as a driveshaft. 

  • Any of a number of long, slender microorganisms. 

  • An implement held vertically and viewed through an optical surveying instrument such as a transit, used to measure distance in land surveying and construction layout; an engineer's rod, surveyor's rod, surveying rod, leveling rod, ranging rod. The modern (US) engineer's or surveyor's rod commonly is eight or ten feet long and often designed to extend higher. In former times a surveyor's rod often was a single wooden pole or composed of multiple sectioned and socketed pieces, and besides serving as a sighting target was used to measure distance on the ground horizontally, hence for convenience was of one rod or pole in length, that is, 5+¹⁄₂ yards. 

  • The penis. 

  • A stirring rod: a glass rod, typically about 6 inches to 1 foot long and ¹⁄₈ to ¹⁄₄ inch in diameter that can be used to stir liquids in flasks or beakers. 

  • A stick used to measure distance, by using its established length or task-specific temporary marks along its length, or by dint of specific graduated marks. 

  • An implement resembling and/or supplanting a rod (particularly a cane) that is used for corporal punishment, and metonymically called the rod, regardless of its actual shape and composition. 

  • A longitudinal pole used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent. 

  • A stick, pole, or bundle of switches or twigs (such as a birch), used for personal defense or to administer corporal punishment by whipping. 

  • A pistol; a gun. 

  • A rod-shaped object that appears in photographs or videos traveling at high speed, not seen by the person recording the event, often associated with extraterrestrial entities. 

verb
  • To penetrate sexually. 

  • To reinforce concrete with metal rods. 

  • To hot rod. 

  • To furnish with rods, especially lightning rods. 

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