contrivance vs shtick

contrivance

noun
  • Something overly artful or artificial. 

  • A means, such as an elaborate plan or strategy, to accomplish a certain objective. 

  • A (mechanical) device to perform a certain task. 

shtick

noun
  • A gimmick. 

  • A generally humorous routine. 

  • A characteristic trait or theme, especially in the way people or media present themselves. 

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