scatter vs toss

scatter

verb
  • To be dispersed upon. 

  • To (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse. 

  • Of a pitcher: to keep down the number of hits or walks. 

  • To deflect (radiation or particles). 

  • To occur or fall at widely spaced intervals. 

  • To distribute loosely as by sprinkling. 

  • To frustrate, disappoint, and overthrow. 

noun
  • The act of scattering or dispersing. 

  • A collection of dispersed objects. 

toss

verb
  • To discard; to throw away. 

  • To masturbate 

  • To subject to trials; to harass. 

  • To lift with a sudden or violent motion. 

  • To flip a coin, to decide a point of contention. 

  • To search (a room or a cell), sometimes leaving visible disorder, as for valuables or evidence of a crime. 

  • To roll and tumble; to be in violent commotion. 

  • To drink in large draughts; to gulp. 

  • To vomit. 

  • To throw with an initial upward direction. 

  • To agitate; to make restless. 

  • To be tossed, as a fleet on the ocean, or as a ship in heavy seas. 

  • To peak (the oars), to lift them from the rowlocks and hold them perpendicularly, the handle resting on the bottom of the boat. 

  • To stir or mix (a salad). 

noun
  • A throw, a lob, of a ball etc., with an initial upward direction, particularly with a lack of care. 

  • A jot, in the phrase 'give a toss'. 

  • concern or consideration. 

  • The coin toss before a cricket match in order to decide who bats first, or before a football match in order to decide the direction of play. 

  • A state of agitation; commotion. 

  • A measure of sprats. 

  • A haughty throwing up of the head. 

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