What is technically considered an attack?

[PhoenixPhyre]

Yes, but you're going beyond p194. Nothing on p194 says that grappling cannot be attacks. You'd have to use other pages of the PHB to reach that conclusion.

Even if it is questionable that an "attack" is an "attack", p194 doesn't help.

I specifically said that grappling is an attack. Not because of p194, but because of the explicit exception made in the "grappling" section on p195. It doesn't meet the general definition, but since specific beats general, and it specifically is called an attack...it's an attack.

I know I'm long-winded, but this was explicitly said in my post.