alarm vs ticker

alarm

noun
  • An instance of an alarm ringing, beeping or clanging, to give a noise signal at a certain time. 

  • A mechanical device for awaking people, or rousing their attention. 

  • A sudden attack; disturbance. 

  • Any sound or information intended to give notice of approaching danger; a warning sound to arouse attention; a warning of danger. 

  • A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. 

  • Sudden surprise with fear or terror excited by apprehension of danger; in the military use, commonly, sudden apprehension of being attacked by surprise. 

verb
  • To give (someone) notice of approaching danger 

  • To rouse to vigilance and action; to put on the alert. 

  • To surprise with apprehension of danger; to fill with anxiety in regard to threatening evil; to excite with sudden fear. 

  • To call to arms for defense 

  • To keep in excitement; to disturb. 

ticker

noun
  • A measuring or reporting device, particularly one which makes a ticking sound as the measured events occur. 

  • A watch (timepiece). 

  • A heart, especially a human one. 

  • One who makes a tick mark. 

  • A birdwatcher who aims to see (and tick off on a list) as many bird species as possible. 

  • A ticker tape, either the traditional paper kind or a scrolling message on a screen. 

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