A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

attach oneself to someone • attach to someone
attach oneself to someone —associate with a person; become
smb.’s constant companion: Fred seems to have attached him-
self to a much older woman.
attach to someone —(of blame, fault, etc.) become fixed onto
a person: A lot of guilt attaches to Henry for his part in the plot.
attached home • semi-detached house
attached home —(U.S.) a house attached to another house
on the other side of the shared wall: One son lives in an at-
tached home adjacent to our home.
semi-detached house —(UK) = attached home: What are peo-
ple’s experiences of having a piano in a semi-detached house?
Does it depend on how thin the walls are?
attempt at something • attempt on something
attempt at something —an effort to do smth.: This publica-
tion is the first attempt at a representation of our knowledge
about vitamins and avitaminoses.
attempt on something —
1
. an act of trying to accomplish
smth. difficult: When he makes his next attempt on the world’s
record, he will be using a “jet-propelled” speed-boat. 2. (in
the phrase “attempt on someone’s life”) an act of trying to kill
smb. (usually of an unseccessful attack or assault): Musharraf
survived a second attempt on his life when attackers rammed
a car bomb into his motorcade.
at the top of the heap
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attend on someone • attend to someone
attend on someone —
1
. act as a servant; carry out smb.’s
wishes: A king would have as many as one hundred people
attending on him. 2. give personal help to smb. (as a nurse,
doctor, etc.): Jane has been attending on her sick mother for
years.
attend to someone —
1
. give one’s attention to smb.: Attend
to me, children, I shan’t repeat these instructions. 2. = attend
on someone 2: She was attending to her sick grandmother when
her father came to the door.