cushion vs shield

cushion

verb
  • To conceal or cover up, as under a cushion. 

  • To furnish with cushions. 

  • To absorb or deaden the impact of. 

  • To seat or place on, or as on a cushion. 

noun
  • a sufficient quantity of an intangible object (like points or minutes) to allow for some of those points, for example, to be lost without hurting one's chances for successfully completing an objective. 

  • A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support; for sitting on, kneeling on, resting one's head on etc. 

  • A pad on which gilders cut gold leaf. 

  • The lip around a table in cue sports which absorbs some of the impact of the billiard balls and bounces them back. 

  • A mass of steam in the end of the cylinder of a steam engine to receive the impact of the piston. 

  • An engraver's pad. 

  • Money kept in reserve. 

  • The pillow used in making bone lace. 

  • A pad supporting a woman's hair. 

  • The rubber of an electrical machine. 

  • The dancer in the cushion dance who currently holds the cushion, or the dance itself. 

shield

verb
  • To shelter; to protect oneself. 

  • To protect, to defend. 

  • to protect from the influence of 

noun
  • A large expanse of exposed stable Precambrian rock. 

  • A wide and relatively low-profiled volcano, usually composed entirely of lava flows. 

  • Parts at the front and back of a vehicle which are meant to absorb the impact of a collision 

  • A broad piece of defensive armor, held in hand, formerly in general use in war, for the protection of the body. 

  • One who protects or defends. 

  • A spot resembling, or having the form of a shield. 

  • A sign or symbol, usually containing numbers and sometimes letters, identifying a highway route. 

  • A framework used to protect workmen in making an adit under ground, and capable of being pushed along as excavation progresses. 

  • The escutcheon or field on which are placed the bearings in coats of arms. 

  • A field of energy that protects or defends. 

  • In lichens, a hardened cup or disk surrounded by a rim and containing the fructification, or asci. 

  • A police badge. 

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