gear vs tackle

gear

noun
  • Clothing; garments. 

  • Recreational drugs, including steroids. 

  • A wheel with grooves (teeth) engraved on the outer circumference, such that two such devices can interlock and convey motion from one to the other; a gear wheel. 

  • A configuration of the transmission of a motor car so as to achieve a particular ratio of engine to axle torque. 

  • Equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor. 

  • A particular combination or choice of interlocking gears, such that a particular gear ratio is achieved. 

adj
  • great or fantastic 

verb
  • To provide with gearing; to fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio. 

  • To dress; to put gear on; to harness. 

  • To design or devise (something) so as to be suitable (for a particular type of person or a particular purpose). 

  • To borrow money in order to invest it in assets. 

  • To be in, or come into, gear. 

tackle

noun
  • Clothing. 

  • Any instance in which one person intercepts another and forces them to the ground. 

  • A device for grasping an object and an attached means of moving it, as a rope and hook. 

  • A block and tackle. 

  • A man's genitalia. 

  • Equipment, gear, gadgetry. 

  • A play where a player attempts to take control over the ball from an opponent, as in rugby or football. 

  • Equipment (rod, reel, line, lure, etc.) used when angling. 

  • An offensive line position between a guard and an end: offensive tackle; a person playing that position. 

  • A play where a defender brings the ball carrier to the ground. 

  • A defensive position between two defensive ends: defensive tackle; a person playing that position. 

verb
  • To "hit on" or pursue a person that one is interested in. 

  • To face or deal with, attempting to overcome or fight down. 

  • To bring a ball carrier to the ground. 

  • To attempt to take away a ball. 

  • To force a person to the ground with the weight of one's own body, usually by jumping on top or slamming one's weight into them. 

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