occasion vs touch off

occasion

verb
  • To cause; to produce; to induce 

noun
  • Need; requirement, necessity. 

  • The time when something happens. 

  • Something which causes something else; a cause. 

  • A reason or excuse; a motive; a persuasion. 

  • A special event or function. 

  • A particular happening; an instance or time when something occurred. 

  • An occurrence or state of affairs which causes some event or reaction; a motive or reason. 

  • A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance. 

touch off

verb
  • To start; to cause, especially used for unstable situations that may magnify if disturbed. 

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