stick vs strut

stick

noun
  • A thrust with a pointed instrument; a stab. 

  • A small rectangular block, with a length several times its width, which contains by volume one half of a cup of shortening (butter, margarine or lard). 

  • A manual transmission, a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, so called because of the stick-like, i.e. twig-like, control (the gear shift) with which the driver of such a vehicle controls its transmission. 

  • A cigarette (usually a tobacco cigarette, less often a marijuana cigarette). 

  • A standard rectangular strip of chewing gum. 

  • The clarinet. 

  • Vigor; spirit; effort, energy, intensity. 

  • Vigorous driving of a car; gas. 

  • General hitting ability. 

  • A piece (of furniture, especially if wooden). 

  • The vertical member of a cope-and-stick joint. 

  • A long thin implement used to control a ball or puck in sports like hockey, polo, and lacrosse. 

  • The short whip carried by a jockey. 

  • A timber board, especially a two by four (inches). 

  • A handgun. 

  • The game of pool, or an individual pool game. 

  • A board as used in board sports, such as a surfboard, snowboard, or skateboard. 

  • Vehicles, collectively, equipped with manual transmissions. 

  • The potential accuracy of a hockey stick, implicating also the player using it. 

  • Corporal punishment; beatings. 

  • The structure to which a set of bombs in a bomber aircraft are attached and which drops the bombs when it is released. The bombs themselves and, by extension, any load of similar items dropped in quick succession such as paratroopers or containers. 

  • Use of the stick to control the aircraft. 

  • A mast or part of a mast of a ship; also, a yard. 

  • The control column of an aircraft; a joystick. (By convention, a wheel-like control mechanism with a handgrip on opposite sides, similar to the steering wheel of an automobile, can also be called the "stick", although "yoke" or "control wheel" is more commonly seen.) 

  • The traction of tires on the road surface. 

  • The amount of fishing line resting on the water surface before a cast; line stick. 

  • A small, thin branch from a tree or bush; a twig; a branch. 

  • The cue used in billiards, pool, snooker, etc. 

  • A cane or walking stick (usually wooden, metal or plastic) to aid in walking. 

  • Criticism or ridicule. 

  • A memory stick. 

  • A negative stimulus or a punishment. (This sense derives from the metaphor of using a stick, a long piece of wood, to poke or beat a beast of burden to compel it to move forward. Compare carrot.) 

  • A cudgel or truncheon (usually of wood, metal or plastic), especially one carried by police or guards. 

  • The long-range driving ability of a golf club. 

  • Any roughly cylindrical (or rectangular) unit of a substance. 

  • The pole bearing a small flag that marks the hole. 

  • A relatively long, thin piece of wood, of any size. 

  • A bunch of something wrapped around or attached to a stick. 

  • The potential hitting power of a specific bat. 

verb
  • To attach with glue or as if by gluing. 

  • To fix on a pointed instrument; to impale. 

  • To press (something with a sharp point) into something else. 

  • To perform (a landing) perfectly. 

  • To have sexual intercourse with. 

  • To cut a piece of wood to be the stick member of a cope-and-stick joint. 

  • To stab. 

  • To run or plane (mouldings) in a machine, in contradistinction to working them by hand. Such mouldings are said to be stuck. 

  • To tolerate, to endure, to stick with. 

  • To become or remain attached; to adhere. 

  • To persist. 

  • Of snow, to remain frozen on landing. 

  • To propagate plants by cuttings. 

  • To stand pat: to cease taking any more cards and finalize one's hand. 

  • To jam; to stop moving. 

  • To furnish or set with sticks. 

  • To remain loyal; to remain firm. 

  • To place, set down (quickly or carelessly). 

adj
  • Likely to stick; sticking, sticky. 

strut

noun
  • An instrument for adjusting the pleats of a ruff. 

  • A beam or rod providing support. 

  • An act of strutting (“bracing or supporting (something) by a strut or struts (sense 1); attaching diagonally; bending at a sharp angle”); specifically, deviation (of the spoke of a wheel) from the normal position. 

  • A step or walk done stiffly and with the head held high, often due to haughtiness or pride; affected dignity in walking. 

verb
  • Of a peacock or other fowl: to stand or walk stiffly, with the tail erect and spread out. 

  • To walk across or on (a stage or other place) haughtily or proudly. 

  • To walk haughtily or proudly with one's head held high. 

  • To brace or support (something) by a strut or struts; to hold (something) in place or strengthen by a diagonal, transverse, or upright support. 

  • To be attached diagonally or at a slant; also, to be bent at a sharp angle. 

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