jam vs shifter

jam

noun
  • Any of several maneuvers requiring wedging of an extremity into a tight space. 

  • A forceful dunk. 

  • balls, bollocks, courage, machismo 

  • A blockage, congestion, or immobilization. 

  • A difficult situation. 

  • A song; a track. 

  • The tree Acacia acuminata, with fruity-smelling hard timber. 

  • A play during which points can be scored. 

  • Luck. 

  • A difficult situation for a pitcher or defending team. 

  • An informal event where people brainstorm and collaborate on projects. 

  • A sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast or used in jam tarts. 

  • An informal, impromptu performance or rehearsal. 

  • Sexual relations or the contemplation of them. 

  • That which one particularly prefers, desires, enjoys, or cares about. 

verb
  • To get something stuck, often (though not necessarily) in a confined space. 

  • To block or confuse a radio or radar signal by transmitting a more-powerful signal on the same frequency. 

  • To brusquely force something into a space; to cram, to squeeze. 

  • To injure a finger or toe by sudden compression of the digit's tip. 

  • To give up on a date or some other joint endeavour; to stand up, chicken out, jam out. 

  • To throw a pitch at or near the batter's hands. 

  • To play music (especially improvisation as a group, or an informal unrehearsed session). 

  • To cause congestion or blockage. Often used with "up". 

  • To attempt to score points. 

  • To bring (a vessel) so close to the wind that half her upper sails are laid aback. 

  • To dunk. 

  • To render something unable to move. 

shifter

noun
  • An arrangement for shifting a belt sidewise from one pulley to another. 

  • A word whose meaning changes depending on the situation, as by deixis. 

  • A switcher or shunter: a railroad locomotive used for shunting. 

  • One who, or that which, shifts or changes. 

  • An assistant to the ship's cook in washing, steeping, and shifting the salt provisions. 

  • A component used by the rider to control the gearing mechanisms and select the desired gear ratio, usually connected to the derailleur by a mechanical actuation cable. 

  • A genre of erotica focusing on lycanthropes or other shapeshifters, such as werewolves. 

  • A spanner with an adjustable jaw size. 

  • A person who changes the reality their consciousness resides in, through meditation or other means. 

  • A wire for changing a loop from one needle to another, as in narrowing, etc. 

  • A person employed to repair the horseways and other passages, and keep them unobstructed. 

  • A shape-shifter, or a person or other being capable of changing their physical form. 

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