swab vs wash out

swab

verb
  • To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab. 

noun
  • A sailor; a swabby. 

  • A naval officer's epaulet. 

  • A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access. 

  • A mop, especially on a ship. 

  • A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns. 

  • A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material). 

wash out

verb
  • To remove something by washing. 

  • To lose traction while going around a turn, especially in cycling, motorsports and skiing/snowboarding. 

  • To wear away by the flow of water; to erode. 

  • To wash the inside of something. 

  • To be removed by washing. 

  • To cancel due to bad weather. 

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