shunt vs sidetrack

shunt

verb
  • To move a train from one track to another, or to move carriages, etc. from one train to another. 

  • To have a minor collision, especially in a motor car. 

  • To move data in memory to a physical disk. 

  • To divert the flow of a body fluid. 

  • To carry on arbitrage between the London stock exchange and provincial stock exchanges. 

  • To provide with a shunt. 

  • To divert to a less important place, position, or state. 

  • To cause to move (suddenly), as by pushing or shoving; to give a (sudden) start to. 

  • To divert electric current by providing an alternative path. 

noun
  • A switch on a railway used to move a train from one track to another. 

  • An act of moving (suddenly), as due to a push or shove. 

  • An abnormal passage between body channels. 

  • The shifting of the studs on a projectile from the deep to the shallow sides of the grooves in its discharge from a shunt gun. 

  • A passage between body channels constructed surgically as a bypass; a tube inserted into the body to create such a passage. 

  • A minor collision between vehicles. 

  • A connection used as an alternative path between parts of an electrical circuit. 

sidetrack

verb
  • To divert (a locomotive or train) on to a lesser used track in order to allow other trains to pass. 

  • To deviate briefly from the topic at hand. 

  • To sideline; to push aside; to divert or distract from, reducing (something) to a secondary or subordinate position. 

  • To divert or distract (someone) from a main issue or course of action with an alternate or less relevant topic or activity; or, to use deliberate trickery or sly wordplay when talking to (a person) in order to avoid discussion of a subject. 

noun
  • An alternate train of thought, issue, topic, or activity, that is a deviation or distraction from the topic at hand or central activity, and secondary or subordinate in importance or effectiveness. 

  • A second, relatively short length of track just to the side of a railroad track, joined to the main track by switches at one or both ends, used either for unloading freight, or to allow two trains on a same track to meet (opposite directions) or pass (same direction); a railroad siding. 

  • Any auxiliary railroad track, as differentiated from a siding, that runs adjacent to the main track. 

  • A smaller tunnel or well drilled as an auxiliary off a main tunnel or well. 

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