billet vs sluice box

billet

noun
  • A semi-finished length of metal. 

  • A short cutting of sugar cane produced by a harvester or used for planting. 

  • A sealed ticket for a draw or lottery. 

  • An ornament in Norman work, resembling a billet of wood, either square or round. 

  • A loop that receives the end of a buckled strap. 

  • Berth; position. 

  • An allocated space or berth in a boat or ship. 

  • A short piece of wood, especially one used as firewood. 

  • A strap that enters a buckle. 

  • A short informal letter. 

  • A written order to quarter soldiers. 

  • A rectangle used as a charge on an escutcheon. 

  • Temporary lodgings in a private residence, such as is organised for members of a visiting sports team. 

  • A place where a soldier is assigned to lodge. 

verb
  • To lodge, or be quartered, in a private house. 

  • To direct, by a ticket or note, where to lodge. 

  • To lodge soldiers, or guests, usually by order. 

sluice box

noun
  • A box with riffles along the bottom, used to trap heavier gold particles as water washes them and the other material along the box. 

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