shred vs whiff

shred

verb
  • To convincingly defeat (someone); to thrash, to trounce. 

  • To become separated into small portions. 

  • To reduce body weight due to fat and water before a competition. 

  • To cut through (snow, water, etc.) swiftly with one's snowboard, surfboard, etc.; (by extension) to move or ride along (a road, track, etc.) aggressively and rapidly. 

  • To reduce (something) by a large percentage; to slash. 

  • To cut or tear (something) into long, narrow pieces or strips. 

  • To separate (something) into small portions. 

  • Chiefly in rock and heavy metal: to play (a musical instrument (especially a guitar) or a piece of music) very fast. 

  • To cut (fruit peel, a vegetable, etc.) into thin strips that curl. 

  • To travel swiftly using a snowboard, surfboard, or vehicle. 

  • To destroy (a document) by cutting or tearing into strips or small pieces that cannot easily be read, especially using a shredder. 

noun
  • A thin strip of fruit peel, a vegetable, etc., cut so that it curls. 

  • A long, narrow piece (especially of fabric) cut or torn off; a strip; specifically, a piece of cloth or clothing. 

  • A thin strand or wisp, as of a cloud, mist, etc. 

  • A fragment of something; a particle; a piece; also, a very small amount. 

  • A shard or sherd (“a piece of broken glass or pottery”). 

adj
  • Synonym of shredded (“cut or torn into narrow strips or small pieces”) 

whiff

verb
  • To fail spectacularly. 

  • To inhale or exhale (smoke from tobacco, etc.) from a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement; to smoke (a cigarette, pipe, etc.); to puff. 

  • To say (something) with an exhalation of breath. 

  • To breathe in or sniff (an odour); to smell. 

  • To carry or convey (something) by, or as by, a whiff or puff of air; to blow, puff, or waft away. 

  • Of a pitcher: to strike out (a batter); to fan. 

  • To be carried, or move as if carried, by a puff of air; to waft. 

  • To smoke a cigarette, pipe, or other smoking implement. 

  • Especially in baseball or golf: to completely miss hitting a ball; hence (baseball), of a batter: to strike out; to fan. 

  • To give off or have an unpleasant smell; to stink. 

  • To catch fish by dragging a handline near the surface of the water from a moving boat. 

  • To shoot (someone) with a firearm; hence, to assassinate or kill (someone). 

  • To smell; to sniff. 

  • In fighting games, to execute a move that fails to hit the opponent. 

  • To move in a way that causes a light gust of air, or a whistling sound. 

adj
  • Having a strong or unpleasant odour. 

noun
  • A brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of air; a waft. 

  • A flag used as a signal. 

  • A short inhalation or exhalation of breath, especially when accompanied by smoke from a cigarette or pipe. 

  • An odour (usually unpleasant) carried briefly through the air. 

  • The name of a number of flatfish such as (dated) the lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) and now, especially, the megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) and (with a descriptive word) a species of large-tooth flounder or sand flounder (family Paralichthyidae). 

  • A slight sign of something; a burst, a glimpse, a hint. 

  • A slight attack or touch. 

  • A characteristic quality of something; a flavour, a savour, a taste. 

  • A failure to hit a ball in various sports (for example, golf); a miss. 

  • A sound like that of air passing through a small opening; a short or soft whistle. 

  • A small quantity of cloud, smoke, vapour, etc.; specifically (obsolete), chiefly in take the whiff: a puff of tobacco smoke. 

  • From the batter's perspective: a strike. 

  • An outrigged boat for one person propelled by oar. 

intj
  • Used to indicate a sound like that of air passing through a small opening, that is, a short or soft whistle. 

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