There was a collective gasp back on the hill.

I remember the collective gasp in the audience.

At this there was a kind of collective gasp, and the entire audience rose to their feet and cheered and cheered.

There was, my friend said, an audible collective gasp from behind the easels, and a ripple of suppressed giggling.

But more importantly, it brought a collective gasp from newspapers, television reports and the nation as a whole.