hint vs scruple

hint

verb
  • To imply without a direct statement; to provide a clue. 

  • To develop and add hints to a font. 

  • To bring to mind by a slight mention or remote allusion; to suggest in an indirect manner. 

noun
  • A small, barely detectable amount. 

  • An instruction to the database engine as to how a query should be executed, for example whether to use an index or not. 

  • An implicit suggestion that avoids a direct statement. 

  • A clue. 

  • Information in a computer-based font that suggests how the outlines of the font's glyphs should be distorted in order to produce, at specific sizes, a visually appealing pixel-based rendering; an instance of hinting. 

scruple

verb
  • To regard with suspicion; to question. 

  • To excite scruples in; to cause to scruple. 

  • To hesitate or be reluctant to act due to considerations of conscience or expedience. 

noun
  • Hesitation to act from the difficulty of determining what is right or expedient; doubt, hesitation or unwillingness due to motives of conscience. 

  • A weight of ¹⁄₂₈₈ of a pound, that is, twenty grains or one third of a dram, about 1.3 grams (symbol: ℈). 

  • A Hebrew unit of time equal to ¹⁄₁₀₈₀ hour. 

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