lickspittle vs white knight

lickspittle

noun
  • A fawning toady; a base sycophant. 

  • The practice of giving empty flattery for personal gain. 

verb
  • To play the toady; take the role of a lickspittle to please (someone). 

white knight

noun
  • A mushroom of species Tricholoma album. 

  • An individual or corporation that intends to acquire another company in order to avert a hostile takeover. 

  • Someone who unnecessarily defends someone else. 

  • A man who defends a woman in debate etc. in an attempt to gain her favour. 

  • A hero, savior, or righteous individual. 

verb
  • To unnecessarily defend someone, especially in an attempt to gain favour. 

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