set a match to vs smolder

set a match to

smolder

noun
  • The act of smoldering or something that smolders. 

verb
  • To exist in a suppressed or hidden state. 

  • To show signs of repressed anger or suppressed mental turmoil or other strong emotion, such as passion. 

  • To burn with no flame and little smoke. 

How often have the words set a match to and smolder occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )