retreat vs shag

retreat

noun
  • The move of a piece from a threatened position. 

  • A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security. 

  • The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position. 

  • A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base. 

  • A military ceremony to lower the flag. 

  • A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude. 

  • A period of meditation, prayer or study. 

  • The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant. 

  • A signal for a military withdrawal. 

  • Withdrawal by military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack. 

verb
  • To slope back. 

  • To withdraw military forces 

  • To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures. 

  • To withdraw from a position, go back. 

  • a retreating forehead 

shag

noun
  • A type of rough carpet pile. 

  • A deliberately messy, shaggy hairstyle. 

  • An act of sexual intercourse. 

  • Matted material; rough massed hair, fibres etc. 

  • Coarse shredded tobacco. 

  • Any of several species of sea birds in the family Phalacrocoracidae (cormorant family), especially the common shag or European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis, found on European and African coasts. 

  • A fundraising dance in honour of a couple engaged to be married. 

  • A casual sexual partner. 

  • Friend; mate; buddy. 

  • A swing dance. 

verb
  • To have sexual intercourse with. 

  • To perform the dance called the shag. 

  • To make hairy or shaggy; to roughen. 

  • To shake, wiggle around. 

  • To chase after; especially, to chase after and return (a ball) hit usually out of play. 

  • To have sexual intercourse. 

  • To masturbate. 

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