rover vs tinker

rover

noun
  • One who roves, a wanderer, a nomad. 

  • A position that is one of three of a team's followers, who follow the ball around the ground. Formerly a position for short players, rovers in professional leagues are frequently over 183 cm (6'). 

  • A pirate. 

  • A randomly selected target. 

  • A vagabond, a tramp, an unsteady, restless person, one who by habit doesn't settle down or marry. 

  • A remotely-operated vehicle; ROV 

  • A defensive back position whose coverage responsibilities are a hybrid of those of a cornerback, safety and linebacker. 

  • A ball which has passed through all the hoops and would go out if it hit the stake but is continued in play; also, the player of such a ball. 

  • The tenth defensive player in slow-pitch softball. 

  • A pirate ship. 

  • A vehicle for exploring extraterrestrial bodies. 

tinker

noun
  • Someone who repairs, or attempts repair, on anything mechanical, or who invents such devices; one who tinkers; a tinkerer. 

  • A bird, the razor-billed auk. 

  • A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster. 

  • An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of metal. 

  • The act of repair or invention. 

  • Any of various fish: chub mackerel, silverside, skate, or young mackerel about two years old. 

verb
  • To work as a tinker. 

  • To fiddle with something in an attempt to fix, mend or improve it, especially in an experimental or unskilled manner. 

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