fence vs sidestep (the issue)

fence

verb
  • To enclose, contain or separate by building fence. 

  • To engage in the sport of fencing. 

  • To engage in the selling or buying of stolen goods. 

  • To jump over a fence. 

  • To conceal the truth by giving equivocal answers; to hedge; to be evasive. 

  • To defend or guard. 

noun
  • A memory barrier. 

  • Skill in oral debate. 

  • Someone who hides or buys and sells stolen goods, a criminal middleman for transactions of stolen goods. 

  • A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc. 

  • A guard or guide on machinery. 

  • The place whence such a middleman operates. 

  • A barrier, for example an emotional barrier. 

sidestep (the issue)

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