arm vs tongs

arm

noun
  • A long, narrow, more or less rigid part of an object extending from the main part or centre of the object, such as the arm of an armchair, a crane, a pair of spectacles or a pair of compasses. 

  • A pitcher 

  • A group of patients in a medical trial. 

  • A limb, or locomotive or prehensile organ, of an invertebrate animal. 

  • The extended portion of the upper limb, from the shoulder to the elbow. 

  • The part of a piece of clothing that covers the arm. 

  • One of the two parts of a chromosome. 

  • Heraldic bearings or insignia. 

  • A branch of an organization. 

  • A bay or inlet off a main body of water. 

  • A weapon. 

  • The portion of the upper human appendage, from the shoulder to the wrist and sometimes including the hand. 

  • Power; might; strength; support. 

adj
  • To be pitied; pitiful; wretched. 

  • Poor; lacking in riches or wealth. 

verb
  • To supply with armour or (later especially) weapons. 

  • To cover or furnish with a plate, or with whatever will add strength, force, security, or efficiency. 

  • To take up weapons; to arm oneself. 

  • To fit (a magnet) with an armature. 

  • To prepare (a tool, weapon, or system) for action; to activate. 

  • To supply with the equipment, knowledge, authority, or other tools needed for a particular task; to furnish with capability; to equip. 

  • To become prepared for action; to activate. 

tongs

noun
  • An instrument or tool used for picking things up without touching them with the hands or fingers, consisting of two slats or grips hinged at the end or in the middle, and sometimes including a spring to open the grips. 

  • A large scissors-like two-piece center-hinged forged-iron implement with oval-loop handles and with pointed tips turned inward (in the same plane as and perpendicular to the handles) to facilitate lifting and carrying a block of ice. Often called ice tongs. 

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