curtail vs throw a spanner in the works

curtail

noun
  • A scroll termination, as of a step, etc. 

verb
  • To shorten or abridge the duration of something; to truncate. 

  • To limit or restrict, keep in check. 

throw a spanner in the works

verb
  • To introduce a problem, dilemma or obstacle, something unexpected or troublesome. 

How often have the words curtail and throw a spanner in the works occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )