sand vs swab

sand

verb
  • To abrade the surface of (something) with sand or sandpaper in order to smooth or clean it. 

  • To blot ink using sand. 

  • To cover with sand. 

noun
  • A beach or other expanse of sand. 

  • A moment or interval of time; the term or extent of one's life (referring to the sand in an hourglass). 

  • "sand in [someone's] eyes" (idiom) 

  • Rock that is ground more finely than gravel, but is not as fine as silt (more formally, see grain sizes chart), forming beaches and deserts and also used in construction. 

  • A sandpiper. 

  • A particle from 62.5 microns to 2 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale. 

  • A light beige colour, like that of typical sand. 

adj
  • Of a light beige colour, like that of typical sand. 

swab

verb
  • To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab. 

noun
  • A sailor; a swabby. 

  • A naval officer's epaulet. 

  • A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access. 

  • A mop, especially on a ship. 

  • A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns. 

  • A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material). 

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