means to an end vs shortcut

means to an end

noun
  • A method by which a goal is achieved. 

shortcut

noun
  • A method to accomplish something that omits one or more steps. 

  • A keyboard shortcut: a combination of keystrokes that provides easier access to a command or operation. 

  • A path between two points that is faster than the commonly used paths. 

  • A file that points to the location of another file and serves as a quick way to access it. 

verb
  • To take or use a shortcut 

How often have the words means to an end and shortcut occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )