I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a bomb attack
▪
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.
a critic attacks sth
▪
Many critics attacked Seurat’s paintings for their lack of colour.
a knife attack
▪
He was sentenced to 9 years in prison for a knife attack.
a panic attack
▪
He had had a panic attack in the street.
a plan of attack (= a plan to attack or achieve something )
▪
At this stage, you go back to the office and work on a plan of attack.
a racial attack
▪
He was the victim of a racial attack.
a revenge attack
▪
The camp was burned down, apparently in a revenge attack.
a surprise attack
▪
Instead they launched a successful surprise attack on the castle.
a terrorist attack/bombing/act
▪
More than 50 people were injured in the terrorist attack.
a violent attack
▪
Blacks were more often victims of violent attacks than other ethnic groups.
a wave of violence/attacks/bombings
▪
The incident triggered a wave of violence.
all-out war/attack/offensive etc
an attack of nerves (= a time when you feel very nervous )
▪
Harrison had an attack of nerves before the match.
arson attack
▪
The school was destroyed in an arson attack.
asthmatic attack
▪
an asthmatic attack
attack a target
▪
They have attacked military targets such as army camps and airfields.
brutal murder/attack/assault
▪
a brutal attack on a defenceless old man
carry out an attack
▪
It became clear that terrorists had carried out the attack.
carry out an attack
▪
It became clear that terrorists had carried out the attack.
cross-border attack/raid
denial of service attack
fierce attack/opposition/criticism etc
▪
The government’s policies came under fierce attack.
frenzied attack
▪
A woman was stabbed to death in a frenzied attack on her home tonight.
full frontal attack
▪
a full frontal attack on the government
full-scale attack/war/riot etc
have/suffer a heart attack
heart attack
▪
You almost gave me a heart attack there!
horrific crash/accident/attack etc
▪
a horrific plane crash
indiscriminate attacks/killing/violence/bombing etc
▪
terrorists responsible for indiscriminate killing
launch an attack/assault/offensive
▪
The press launched a vicious attack on the President.
lead an attack/assault
▪
Nelson preferred to lead the attack himself from the front.
line of fire/attack/movement etc (= the direction in which someone shoots, attacks, moves etc )
▪
I was directly in the animal’s line of attack.
massive stroke/heart attack etc
▪
He suffered a massive stroke.
mortar attack
▪
a mortar attack
mount an assault/attack
▪
Guerrillas have mounted an attack on the capital.
physically attack sb
▪
It was the first time he had ever physically attacked anybody.
pre-emptive strike/attack
▪
a series of pre-emptive strikes on guerrilla bases
scathing attack/remark/comment etc
▪
a scathing attack on the government’s planned tax increases
suffer a heart attack/stroke
▪
He died after suffering a massive heart attack.
veiled attack on
▪
His speech is being seen as a veiled attack on asylum-seekers.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
brutal
▪
Mr Purohit, a leading figure in the Hindu community, had been murdered, in a brutal attack .
▪
Father finds son on ground after brutal attack .
▪
It was a brutal and mindless attack .
▪
Detectives spoke of their disgust at the brutal attack .
fierce
▪
The government was blamed and its tariff and trade policies came under fierce attack .
▪
The fiercest attacks were directed not at Levin, but at Lautenberg, who was facing reelection the next year.
▪
Since the mid-1960s Walcott's views have come under fierce attack .
▪
Cannon and his co-workers launched a fierce attack on James.
▪
The conference's failure to set limits came under fierce attack from environmentalists.
massive
▪
The patient had come to the hospital for tests, and suffered a massive heart attack .
▪
A Colonel Herbinger, drunk at the time, thought in his stupor that the enemy had launched a massive attack .
▪
The massive attacks work well for the opening movement, with its homage to Bach.
▪
Of course, he defied doctor's orders, and in 1977 he died of a massive heart attack , aged sixty.
▪
In parts of Lincolnshire, for example, the early seventeenth century saw a massive attack on the former open fields.
▪
Staff made frantic attempts to revive him but he is thought to have suffered a massive heart attack .
nuclear
▪
Consequently, they might remove the base, thereby removing the reason for a nuclear attack .
▪
The nation could ill afford a logy commander-in-chief in the event of nuclear attack .
▪
My relatives and friends lived in fear of nuclear attack or bombardment by chemical weapons.
▪
But like the old joke, they prepare for nuclear attack by gathering the wagons into a circle.
▪
In any case the vast base was vulnerable to nuclear attack .
▪
Nor will such a network of battle stations immediately end the threat of nuclear attack .
▪
He was executive officer aboard the Honolulu, a nuclear attack submarine.
panic
▪
It's as if she has panic attacks and a kind of phobia.
▪
Richard was having a panic attack on Fifth Avenue, clutching a lamppost with arms that bulged like tin drums.
▪
Thirty years ago we heard nothing about panic attacks , or anorexia or self-mutilation.
▪
Certainly about ten percent of the population has suffered at least one panic attack .
▪
Before the storm, I was full of anxiety, panic attacks , good and bad days.
▪
Once you understand the panic attack problem, these particular fears of public places make perfect sense.
▪
It has also been proven to combat anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and panic attacks .
▪
It was manifesting itself in insomnia, panic attacks .
personal
▪
Nothing could be more calculated to provoke fresh accusations or evidence than a personal attack on Cathy Woodhead.
▪
But after weeks of personal attacks on the president, such speculation seems premature.
▪
Respond to personal attack by getting angry or upset.
▪
There was nothing personal in our attack .
▪
Candidates also are resorting to personal attacks to get attention because their positions on most substantive issues are remarkably similar.
▪
Perhaps with reason, Brown has regarded most legislative reform proposals as a personal attack on him.
▪
I read message after message spouting racist doctrines, discriminatory diatribes and personal attacks .
racial
▪
It looks at some appalling racial attacks , including a skinhead raid last June on a Gypsy camp near Naples.
▪
These precautions are essential because of the danger of racial attacks .
▪
We will continue to ensure that the full force of the law is used to deal with racial attacks .
▪
After he was elected in November he revealed that he been the subject of racial attacks during his campaign.
▪
Their gathering for the bus ride home is often the occasion for a racial attack .
■ NOUN
air
▪
Coming in the midst of a presidential campaign, the air attack has generated the inevitable political rhetoric, bombast and pressure.
▪
The air attack occurred in August 1988 during a campaign against the Kurdish separatist movement.
▪
He also underlines further the riskiness of the Yamamoto plan, pointing to the high vulnerability of carriers to air attack .
▪
There were no trains and the roads were under constant air attack .
▪
This was the possibility of a sneak enemy air attack on Tokyo, the capital of the Empire.
▪
Meanwhile, the air attacks continue.
▪
He will need to sell his candidacy and meet the Democratic air attack with regularly televised speeches from the Senate floor.
arson
▪
Richard Fielding, 21, has admitted an arson attack that killed seven members of the same family.
▪
The hut at North Park, Darlington, was destroyed in an arson attack last year.
▪
Who will pay?: Insurance fears after school arson attack .
▪
Party workers have been rallying around since last Thursday night's arson attack which caused tens of thousands worth of damage.
▪
Ten classrooms were gutted in the arson attack , and three fire fighters were treated for smoke inhalation.
▪
It's expected to be some weeks before all the shops damaged in the arson attack can be re-opened.
▪
Read in studio An airman who helped destroy evidence after a twenty million pound arson attack has been fined fifteen hundred pounds.
bomb
▪
The commando had been planning a car bomb attack in Seville during its April fair.
▪
From June 1944 the flying bomb attacks were less concentrated spatially, but even more destructive.
▪
This development follows the first suicide bomb attack for two years.
▪
Police were also seeking a motive for an attempted pipe bomb attack on a house in Ballymoney, Co Antrim.
heart
▪
He later was rector of two other Norfolk parishes and retired in 1979 after a heart attack .
▪
This study is the first to evaluate the role of food and fluids in preventing fainting and heart attacks in air travelers.
▪
A 40-year-old man was airlifted to hospital from an Isle of Man-bound ferry after having a heart attack .
▪
The court of appeals upheld the sentences for the two remaining after one died of a heart attack .
▪
A heart attack , she said, and rang off before he could ask questions.
▪
Bunn was released from trial during the summer after suffering a heart attack .
▪
It was Anderson who discovered Tilden dead of a heart attack in June of 1953.
knife
▪
Tensions were already running high after the knife attack on an Arsenal supporter the night before.
missile
▪
Gates warned that Hussein probably expects another cruise missile attack .
▪
If they wished, they could have ordered an artillery barrage or missile attack on the vehicles.
▪
But the news broadcast after the first missile attack failed to mention it.
▪
Instead, the arsenal ship would have relied on other warships to defend it against missile attacks .
▪
Chief Petty Officer John Strange was badly injured during a missile attack .
▪
The Pentagon ordered up cruise missile attacks from two of the six cruise-missile equipped warships on patrol in the Persian Gulf.
mortar
▪
At 21 months, little Mirza is the youngest to be brought here from the mortar attacks and shelling around Sarajevo.
revenge
▪
The Resistance firebombed the house and daubed swastikas on the walls in a revenge attack .
▪
Many of them, however, are already out of prison, and there have been no reported revenge attacks by Hezbollah.
▪
Detectives suspect the van bombing was a revenge attack .
▪
Letter bomb: Revenge attack on farmer jailed for cruelty.
▪
The Madurans launched revenge attacks and the situation deteriorated.
surprise
▪
Speed of pursuit and a surprise attack gave Abram victory.
▪
In the surprise attack , they torched the town and rounded up its inhabitants.
▪
This would increase the warning time of any possible surprise attack .
▪
No world leader would try to launch a surprise attack because the response would be terminal for his own nation.
▪
His surprise attack routed the Chaos forces in the woods around the White Tower.
▪
That could provide clues about who was behind the surprise attack .
▪
It was also important to demonstrate the ability of nuclear forces to ride out a surprise attack .
▪
Officially you are all going to be victims of a surprise attack on the rescue party by the native inhabitants.
■ VERB
come
▪
Explain why the Keynesian model has come under increasing attack in recent years. 6.
▪
Hiding under a seat in a movie theater that has come under attack by a crazed gunman.
▪
Modern methods of livestock farming have come under severe attack since the 1989 outbreak of salmonella.
▪
Alarcon said the man had illegally entered the country sometime prior to the aircraft coming under attack .
▪
The regimes of both units came under considerable attack from the interviewees.
▪
Meanwhile Mr Lamont came under attack for spending the whole of August away from his desk.
▪
Air pollution and energy conservation aside, private vehicles also come under attack when we consider rural and urban environments.
▪
The original Bill came under strong attack and fell when John Major called an April election.
launch
▪
The World Champion launched a direct attack in the dying moments of the first session.
▪
The doctor is launching a direct attack at the source of the allegations -- a lawsuit.
▪
Grant launched an all-out attack on these defenses during the gusty,, rainy, and misty dawn of May 12.
▪
Realizing that he was the better fighter, I decided to gain the upper hand by launching a surprise attack .
▪
In response, the country launched an all-out attack on Freetown from Lungi airport on the outskirts of the city.
▪
Lord Lane also launched a strong attack on the crisis in the crown and county courts.
▪
You may even have to launch a complete attack before you can spell out your future intentions.
mount
▪
Three men had mounted an incompetent attack on Trent at Bacalar.
▪
Prevention is quiet, but politicians who mount all-out attacks on symptoms generate great publicity.
▪
Thirdly, there was now a legal precedent upon which to mount attacks on politically inspired censorship.
▪
Instead, the Republicans are expected to mount legal attacks on the environmental measures.
▪
He then turned on the assembled crowd and mounted a scathing verbal attack on them.
▪
North overcame the West 2-0 rather more easily, West hardly mounting a worthwhile attack .
▪
No Soviet figure, let alone such a prominent one, had ever mounted such an attack in the Western press.
▪
They said the case was prejudiced by a campaign by the Communist party to mount a political attack on Fiat.
suffer
▪
He suffered a heart attack early in the game.
▪
In the midst of a sermon, he suffered an apoplectic attack and remained unconscious for the rest of his life.
▪
And in Dusseldorf police said a member of the Republican party suffered a heart attack after being beaten up by demonstrators.
▪
Now I, suffering attacks of insecurity as they grow away from me, need to clutch them in the night.
▪
The family travelled to Brno and to Olomouc, but nevertheless both Mozart and his sister suffered mild attacks of smallpox.
▪
He was released from trial during the summer, after suffering a heart attack .
▪
These children had suffered 25 attacks between them over a 59-day period.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
biological weapons/warfare/attack etc
▪
He knew then that the mystery of Titron was only partly explained by the secret biological warfare establishment.
▪
Regional conflicts - along with the proliferation of missiles and nuclear, chemical and biological weapons - present growing dangers.
▪
Schwarzkopf strongly defended his field commanders from allegations that they were careless about chemical and biological weapons.
▪
We tend to focus on nuclear but chemical and biological weapons, while not as devastating, would be plenty bad.
blistering attack/criticism etc
▪
Bates also launched a blistering attack on the sports minister Kate Hoey.
▪
The most humiliating thing for Mr Major was not the fact that it was Mr Lamont who made the blistering attack.
▪
The religious press in the first decade of pentecostal history teems with blistering attacks on the new movement.
come under attack/fire/scrutiny etc
▪
At a deeper level, however, the concept of the mentally abnormal female offender has come under scrutiny.
▪
He added that to be accurate, the aircraft would have to risk coming under fire.
▪
He said the company came under scrutiny along with other insurers after allegations were first made against Metropolitan Life in 1993.
▪
In addition to facing the ire of frustrated riders, Muni has also come under fire recently from federal safety officials.
▪
Patrick is generally regarded as having been an aggressive enforcer of civil-rights laws and often came under fire from conservatives.
▪
Police came under attack from bottles, bricks and plastic crates.
▪
Sir Derek came under fire from several shareholders.
▪
Their vehicle came under fire but was not hit.
concerted effort/action/attack etc
▪
As part of a concerted effort to reinvigorate residential communities, 2, 000 new houses have sprung up since 1990.
▪
He said the pledge was meaningless unless a concerted effort was made to find legislative time for outstanding recommendations.
▪
However, with a concerted effort, this research could be completed within 2 years.
▪
If we are going to maintain the modern world, then concerted action for the future is urgently needed.
▪
Prompt response to requests would help to ease the pressure as would a concerted effort being made to increase membership.
▪
She has also made a concerted effort to improve her knowledge.
▪
The end of the story, of course, is that the students' concerted efforts around the nation worked.
▪
This change is part of a concerted effort to raise our profile with our international customers.
copycat crime/attack etc
▪
However, 44% of you feel that these reports should leave the gory details out and 39% feel they encourage copycat crimes.
▪
What about fingerprints, copycat crimes and serial murders?
frontal attack/assault
▪
A full frontal assault right in the snout.
▪
But the frontal assault on Cobdenite assumptions was the challenge to free trade itself.
▪
Efforts should then be entirely concentrated on the frontal attack.
▪
Gorbad, still weak from the wound suffered at Grunberg, was unprepared for a frontal assault.
▪
If we were fit, a frontal assault would be suicide.
▪
The congress went further, straying close to a frontal attack on the ruling party.
▪
They are a frontal assault of the Devil not only upon believers but on human beings everywhere.
give sb/have a heart attack
▪
Doctors at Leicester Royal Infirmary are to assess the benefits of giving magnesium to heart attack victims immediately after an attack.
▪
I will surely give some one a heart attack ... I have varicose veins in my legs.
▪
That ought to give Francois a heart attack.
smash-and-grab raid/attack etc
stinging attack/report/letter etc
▪
Mr Smith launched a stinging attack on John Major, ridiculing him as a man who has lost control of events.
▪
The company which used to give £40,000 a year to Tory funds, launched a stinging attack on Government policies.
▪
What upsets her much more than the two columns is a stinging letter to the editor published in the sports pages.
suicide attack/mission/bombing etc
▪
As Delbert saw it, they went on suicide missions, which was just the kind of action he wanted.
▪
His suicide mission came as a surprise to more people than just his family.
▪
The powers-that-be decide to send you on a suicide mission - nice peeps, aren't they?
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
a number of brutal and unprovoked attacks on gays
▪
an asthma attack
▪
Eleven people were injured in a rocket attack on Sunday night.
▪
Fong did not suffer a physical attack , but he was humiliated by the three men.
▪
France launched a bitter attack on EU proposals to reduce farm subsidies.
▪
International terrorists have mounted an attack aimed at disrupting the huge tourist industry here.
▪
Malaria often doesn't go away completely, and a patent may suffer from repeated attacks over several years.
▪
missile attacks on civilian targets
▪
New statistics show a further increase in attacks on women.
▪
O'Brien promised to continue his attacks on the film industry.
▪
Once again the oil companies have come under attack from environmentalists.
▪
One of my students suddenly had an attack of asthma and I didn't know what to do.
▪
Police say it was a particularly nasty attack .
▪
She was left unconscious after an attack in her own home.
▪
The attack took place as she was walking home.
▪
The caller warned that the attacks will continue until the demands are met.
▪
The city is exposed and vulnerable to air attack .
▪
Their home was damaged in the attack .
▪
There was no indication of a sexual attack .
▪
They finally caught the gang responsible for the armed attacks on foreigners in Dakar.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
At this time the Union center, having reformed after falling back under the early attacks, was still standing fast.
▪
But most animals, seeking to avoid attack from predators, use disguise in a quite different and more cautious way.
▪
Hiding under a seat in a movie theater that has come under attack by a crazed gunman.
▪
Lumbering was an attack operation, as thoroughly strategic and disciplined as a military siege.
▪
Officially you are all going to be victims of a surprise attack on the rescue party by the native inhabitants.
▪
The air attack occurred in August 1988 during a campaign against the Kurdish separatist movement.
▪
Your father died early this morning of a heart attack .
II. verb
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
biological weapons/warfare/attack etc
▪
He knew then that the mystery of Titron was only partly explained by the secret biological warfare establishment.
▪
Regional conflicts - along with the proliferation of missiles and nuclear, chemical and biological weapons - present growing dangers.
▪
Schwarzkopf strongly defended his field commanders from allegations that they were careless about chemical and biological weapons.
▪
We tend to focus on nuclear but chemical and biological weapons, while not as devastating, would be plenty bad.
blistering attack/criticism etc
▪
Bates also launched a blistering attack on the sports minister Kate Hoey.
▪
The most humiliating thing for Mr Major was not the fact that it was Mr Lamont who made the blistering attack.
▪
The religious press in the first decade of pentecostal history teems with blistering attacks on the new movement.
concerted effort/action/attack etc
▪
As part of a concerted effort to reinvigorate residential communities, 2, 000 new houses have sprung up since 1990.
▪
He said the pledge was meaningless unless a concerted effort was made to find legislative time for outstanding recommendations.
▪
However, with a concerted effort, this research could be completed within 2 years.
▪
If we are going to maintain the modern world, then concerted action for the future is urgently needed.
▪
Prompt response to requests would help to ease the pressure as would a concerted effort being made to increase membership.
▪
She has also made a concerted effort to improve her knowledge.
▪
The end of the story, of course, is that the students' concerted efforts around the nation worked.
▪
This change is part of a concerted effort to raise our profile with our international customers.
copycat crime/attack etc
▪
However, 44% of you feel that these reports should leave the gory details out and 39% feel they encourage copycat crimes.
▪
What about fingerprints, copycat crimes and serial murders?
frontal attack/assault
▪
A full frontal assault right in the snout.
▪
But the frontal assault on Cobdenite assumptions was the challenge to free trade itself.
▪
Efforts should then be entirely concentrated on the frontal attack.
▪
Gorbad, still weak from the wound suffered at Grunberg, was unprepared for a frontal assault.
▪
If we were fit, a frontal assault would be suicide.
▪
The congress went further, straying close to a frontal attack on the ruling party.
▪
They are a frontal assault of the Devil not only upon believers but on human beings everywhere.
give sb/have a heart attack
▪
Doctors at Leicester Royal Infirmary are to assess the benefits of giving magnesium to heart attack victims immediately after an attack.
▪
I will surely give some one a heart attack ... I have varicose veins in my legs.
▪
That ought to give Francois a heart attack.
smash-and-grab raid/attack etc
stinging attack/report/letter etc
▪
Mr Smith launched a stinging attack on John Major, ridiculing him as a man who has lost control of events.
▪
The company which used to give £40,000 a year to Tory funds, launched a stinging attack on Government policies.
▪
What upsets her much more than the two columns is a stinging letter to the editor published in the sports pages.
suicide attack/mission/bombing etc
▪
As Delbert saw it, they went on suicide missions, which was just the kind of action he wanted.
▪
His suicide mission came as a surprise to more people than just his family.
▪
The powers-that-be decide to send you on a suicide mission - nice peeps, aren't they?
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
A woman was attacked by three youths while she was out jogging in Central Park.
▪
Brown Bears have been know to attack human beings.
▪
General Powell consulted with the President before giving the order to attack .
▪
Guerrillas attacked an army patrol.
▪
He was badly injured when one of his own bulls attacked him.
▪
Her husband attacked her with a knife.
▪
Many women feel vulnerable to attack .
▪
On 25 April, British and Australian troops attacked the enemy at Gallipoli.
▪
Police dogs are trained to attack in certain circumstances.
▪
Several actors have attacked proposals to cut the theatre's budget.
▪
The bill has been attacked because it will put loggers out of work.
▪
The Canadian team began to attack more in the second half of the game.
▪
The special unit attacked at dawn, inflicting heavy losses.
▪
The village had been attacked by enemy warplanes.
▪
The virus attacks the body's immune system.
▪
There are several ways to attack the problem of rising rents.
▪
Union leaders attacked management for eliminating employee health benefits.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A hostile nation has attacked with the silent and invisible weapons of cyberspace.
▪
But potential obstacles can not be allowed to attack the legitimacy or undermine the potential feasibility of a new state.
▪
Nine days ago, a 26 year old woman was also attacked as she walked along New Road.
▪
Silence reigned for some time as they attacked the meal.
▪
What's happened to it, have you been attacked by tigers?
▪
Whoever is afraid of cholera will be attacked, and no treatment can save him.
▪
Yet when Ruksana Khan was attacked, the Home Secretary visited her in hospital and everything.