saffron vs straw

saffron

noun
  • A spice (seasoning) and colouring agent made from the stigma and part of the style of the plant, sometimes or formerly also used as a dye and insect repellent. 

  • An orange-yellow colour, the colour of a lion's pelt. 

  • The plant Crocus sativus, a crocus. 

adj
  • Having an orange-yellow colour. 

verb
  • To add saffron to (a food), for taste, colour etc. 

  • To dye (a fabric, garment, etc.) with a saffron-based dye. 

  • To give a saffron colour to (something). 

  • To colour (a metal or wooden surface) with a gilding product containing saffron. 

  • To embellish. 

straw

noun
  • A pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw. 

  • A dried stalk of a cereal plant. 

  • Such dried stalks considered collectively; this bulk matter may be a chief salable product, a by-product, fodder, bedding, or green manure, depending on region and on current market conditions. 

  • Anything proverbially worthless; the least possible thing. 

  • A drinking straw. 

verb
  • To lay straw around plants to protect them from frost. 

adj
  • Made of straw. 

  • Of a pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw. 

  • Imaginary, but presented as real. 

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