thumb vs tong

thumb

verb
  • To manipulate (an object) with the thumb; especially, to pull back the hammer or open the cylinder of a revolver. 

  • To turn the pages of (a book) in order to read it cursorily. 

  • To hitchhike 

  • To touch or cover with the thumb. 

  • To soil or wear with the thumb or the fingers; to soil, or wear out, by frequent handling. 

  • To fire (a single action revolver) quickly by pulling the hammer while keeping the trigger depressed. 

noun
  • A thumbnail picture. 

  • The short thick digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers. 

  • The part of a slider that may be moved linearly along the slider. 

tong

verb
  • To grab, manipulate or transport something using tongs. 

  • To use tongs. 

noun
  • a Chinese lineage organization responsible for managing ancestral land 

  • a Chinese secret society or gang 

  • An instrument or tool used for manipulating things in a fire without touching them with the hands. 

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