steer vs tout

steer

verb
  • To castrate (a male calf). 

  • To conduct oneself; to take or pursue a course of action. 

  • To be directed and governed; to take a direction, or course; to obey the helm. 

  • To direct a group of animals. 

  • To direct a conversation. 

  • To guide the course of a vessel, vehicle, aircraft etc. (by means of a device such as a rudder, paddle, or steering wheel). 

  • To direct or send an object into a specific place 

  • To maneuver or manipulate a person or group into a place or course of action. 

noun
  • A suggestion about a course of action. 

  • The castrated male of cattle, especially one raised for beef production. 

tout

verb
  • To act as a tout; to give a tip on a racehorse. 

  • To spy out the movements of racehorses at their trials, or to get by stealth or other improper means the secrets of the stable, for betting purposes. 

  • To look for, try to obtain; used with for. 

  • To spy out information about (a horse, a racing stable, etc.). 

  • To flaunt, to publicize/publicise; to boast or brag; to promote. 

  • To give a tip on (a racehorse) to a person, with the expectation of sharing in any winnings. 

noun
  • Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way. 

  • A person, at a racecourse, who offers supposedly inside information on which horse is likely to win. 

  • In the game of solo, a proposal to win all eight tricks. 

  • An informer in the Irish Republican Army. 

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