Crossword Genius

Attack and knock the sailor unconscious (3,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lay about

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'attack' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'knock the sailor unconscious' is the wordplay.
'knock' becomes 'lay' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'the sailor' becomes 'ab' (abbreviation for able seaman).
'unconscious' becomes 'out' (similar in meaning).
'lay'+'ab'+'out'='LAY ABOUT'

'and' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app