diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/lucene/search/PhraseQuery.java b/src/java/org/apache/lucene/search/PhraseQuery.java
index dc9bed4829e..efcca47e2b2 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/lucene/search/PhraseQuery.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/lucene/search/PhraseQuery.java
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ public class PhraseQuery extends Query {
   /** Prints a user-readable version of this query. */
   public String toString(String f) {
     StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
-    if (!field.equals(f)) {
+    if (field != null && !field.equals(f)) {
       buffer.append(field);
       buffer.append(":");
     }
diff --git a/src/test/org/apache/lucene/search/TestPhraseQuery.java b/src/test/org/apache/lucene/search/TestPhraseQuery.java
index 21714c29c58..e5ab3d8cae0 100644
--- a/src/test/org/apache/lucene/search/TestPhraseQuery.java
+++ b/src/test/org/apache/lucene/search/TestPhraseQuery.java
@@ -544,5 +544,13 @@ public class TestPhraseQuery extends LuceneTestCase {
     //assertTrue("reversed scores higher in palindrome",score1+SCORE_COMP_THRESH<score3);
     //assertEquals("ordered or reversed does not matter",score2, score3, SCORE_COMP_THRESH);
   }
+
+  // LUCENE-1280
+  public void testEmptyPhraseQuery() throws Throwable {
+    final PhraseQuery q1 = new PhraseQuery();
+    final BooleanQuery q2 = new BooleanQuery();
+    q2.add(new PhraseQuery(), BooleanClause.Occur.MUST);
+    q2.toString();
+  }
   
 }