fillip vs tonic

fillip

noun
  • Something that excites or stimulates. 

  • A sharp strike or tap made using this action, or (by extension) by other means. 

  • Something unimportant, a trifle; also, the brief time it takes to flick one's finger (see noun sense 1); a jiffy. 

verb
  • To project quickly; to snap. 

  • To strike or tap smartly. 

  • To drive as if by a fillip (noun sense 1); to excite, stimulate, whet. 

  • To strike, project, or propel with a fillip (that is, a finger released quickly after being pressed against the thumb); to flick. 

  • To make a fillip (noun sense 1) (with the fingers). 

tonic

noun
  • Someone or something that revitalises or reinvigorates. 

  • A substance with medicinal properties intended to restore or invigorate. 

  • The first note of a diatonic scale; the keynote. 

  • The triad built on the tonic note. 

  • Tonic water. 

  • Any of various carbonated, non-alcoholic beverages; soda pop. 

  • A tonic element or letter; a vowel or a diphthong. 

adj
  • Of or relating to tones or sounds; specifically (phonetics, dated) being or relating to a speech sound made with tone unmixed and undimmed by obstruction, i.e. a vowel or diphthong. 

  • Pertaining to tension, especially of muscles. 

  • In a state of continuous unremitting action. 

  • Restorative, curative or invigorating. 

  • Pertaining to or based upon the first note of a diatonic scale. 

  • Pertaining to the accent or stress in a word or in speech. 

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