plan of attack
11
3.2
- noun
:
plan de ataque
- The best plan of attack right now for SEO is what it has been for a long time.
- a new plan of attack
- a good plan of attack
- think of a plan of attack
And the first plan of attack was Roe, and then it's going to go birth control.
- And the first plan of attack was Roe, and then it's going to go birth control.
Examples
-
We have no plan of attack.
-
All right, I propose that you draw the plan of attack so that we can follow it.
-
Look, what we need is a plan of attack.
-
And this is our plan of attack.
-
What is your plan of attack?
-
What's your plan of attack?
-
We should have a plan of attack and have definite ideas of what we want.
Blog text (18) -
An overall plan of attack would be required to guarantee such an accomplishment.
Academic text (2002) -
Brazil has rightfully earned the prestige of being one of the few developing nations to implement a viable plan of attack against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Academic text (2007) -
Over dinner, Ernie explained his plan of attack for the next morning.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A set of steps arranged to reach a goal
∞
3.4
A way of dealing with a problem or task
∞
3.7
A plan to reach a goal, often used in business or games
516
3.0
A planned action to reach a goal
71
3.7
A set of actions that helps a team or person reach a goal
70
3.6
A plan of steps to reach a goal
47
3.5
A way of dealing with a problem or task
13
3.4
A clear set of steps to reach a goal
12
3.6
A plan for fighting that shows who will do what, where, and when
4
3.5
Planned short actions used to reach a specific goal
Antonyms
How Aggressive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'plan' (ordered actions) combined with 'attack' (an approach or offensive action) linked by 'of' yields 'a plan for an attack' i.e. a strategy or set of actions to address a problem. The metaphorical sense of 'attack' as an approach/strategy is common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Plan of attack comes from military battles where leaders made a clear plan showing where to send soldiers for an attack. That picture of choosing steps to win a fight helps explain why today it means a set of actions or a 'strategy' to solve a problem.