Statisticians snigger about latest attack (9)
I believe the answer is:
onslaught
'attack' is the definition.
(an onslaught is an attack)
'statisticians snigger about latest' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'about' could be 'on' (as in a book 'on' a certain topic) and 'on' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for onslaught that I've seen before include "Sudden and severe onset of trouble" , "offensive action" , "Hunt goals (anag) - offensive" , "Heavy attack" , "Destructive attack" .)