attraction

Related to attraction: physical attraction

center of attraction

A person, place, or thing that attracts the most attention among others. There were many movie stars at the premiere, but the leading lady was the center of attraction. Temple Bar is definitely the center of attraction in Dublin.
See also: attraction, center, of

fatal attraction

1. In a romantic relationship, an attraction to the very qualities in a person that ultimately lead to the relationship falling apart. John had a fatal attraction to the wild, uninhibited life Cynthia led, but she cared more about "living free" than having a functional relationship. I was completely enamored by his self-confidence and charm, but it was just a fatal attraction to a man who turned out to be a complete narcissist.
2. An intense and obsessive infatuation with another person, especially by a spurned lover, that might lead to harassment or violence. A: "I broke up with Chris over two months ago, but he's still constantly checking in on me and even started threatening this new guy I started seeing." B: "Whoa, talk about a fatal attraction."
See also: attraction
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

center of attraction, the

Something or someone that attracts the most interest or curiosity. For example, The Ferris wheel is always the center of attraction at our carnival, or Jan is the center of attraction wherever she goes. This expression comes from physics, where since about 1770 it has denoted the point to which bodies tend by gravity or the action of centripetal force.
See also: center, of
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

fatal attraction

An affinity for something or someone inherently harmful. This twentieth-century term appears in such locutions as, “Even after the deaths of hundreds of climbers, Mt. Everest continues to exert a fatal attraction for many mountaineers.” It was used as the title of a 1987 motion picture about a happily married man who has a weekend affair with a beautiful woman; she turns out to be psychotic and tries to destroy his and his family’s life.
See also: attraction
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • center of attraction
  • center of attraction, the
  • back in (one's) box
  • back in your box
  • boss lady
  • the little lady
  • the nail that sticks out gets hammered down
  • lady of pleasure
  • stale drunk
  • done up like a dog's dinner
References in periodicals archive
But more than half of the 85 attractions surveyed do not have full wheelchair access, while almost half have fewer than two disabled toilets per 100 visitors.
Making fake caviar from agar, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar is one of Attraction chimique's most popular activities (above, left).
Many of the attractions have not been available in the UAE until now and are intended to appeal to both domestic and international tourists to the area.
Smart Destinations passes, including Go City Cards, Go Explorer and Go Select, provide admission to more than 400 attractions across nine North American destinations, including New York, Orlando, San Diego, Chicago and Boston.
Bellevue Park, Wrexham, saw 384,000 visitors last year The Italianate village of Portmeirion saw 234,000 visitors last year, making it the most popular paid tourist attraction in North Wales and fourth in Wales overall
What's most telling, Kipp thinks is that a quarter (25 percent) of our readers couldn't think of a tourist attraction at all.
A NEW study of visitor attractions in Wales over the last decade has shown that their number has fallen for the first time ever.
Xscape Milton Keynes is the most popular free attraction with 6.9 million visits, followed by Blackpool Pleasure Beach at 5.5 million, then in third place the British Museum with 5.4 million visitors.
By implementing Secerno, Attraction World is operating with a bank-approved level of security, which makes the company a far more appealing proposition for potential partners and gives it an advantage over its competitors, claimed the CEO of Secerno.
And critics, including a former member of the zoo's board, claim the attraction deserves better.
In between exploring the cultural diversity offered by Toronto, the many museums and music attractions are good options while visiting the city.
This again contrasts with Arbour and Blackburn, who say that "gay students" have a "contribution to make." It is unclear what they mean by contribution, since everyone, including students who believe that they have same-sex attraction (henceforth SSA) has a contribution to make.
Bentz says the idea is to create a "critical mass of activity" to draw people and festival-goers into a year-round attraction. The historic CN Rail station on the property already houses a cafe, restaurant and other small retail shops.
Jeffery Satinover (Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth) and others who document the origins and potential for change of same-sex attraction. As directors of The School of Healing Prayer in Toronto developed by Dr.
Saying Sing Sing prison could become the Alcatraz of the east, Westchester County Executive Andy Spano has called on the state's Empire State Development Corporation to fund construction of a prison museum that he thinks would be a major tourist attraction for the northeast.