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

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

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