barrier vs sluice gate

barrier

noun
  • A structure that bars passage. 

  • A separation between two areas of the body where specialized cells allow the entry of certain substances but prevent the entry of others. 

  • A martial exercise of the 15th and 16th centuries. 

  • The lists in a tournament. 

  • An obstacle or impediment. 

  • A node (in government and binding theory) said to intervene between other nodes A and B if it is a potential governor for B, c-commands B, and does not c-command A. 

  • A boundary or limit. 

verb
  • To block or obstruct with a barrier. 

sluice gate

noun
  • A portal which may be opened or closed to allow or prevent the passage of water through a man-made channel. 

  • Something which restrains or releases a substantial volume—a flood—of activity, emotion, etc. 

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