Question

Why according to the poet, a novice might be nonplussed to distinguish beasts of prey? Which popular phrases has the poet referenced while talking about the hyena and crocodile?

Answer 1

The word ‘nonplus’ means to surprise or confuse someone. A novice might be nonplussed while identifying beasts of prey because there are many of them. The poet says that the hyena can be identified by its laugh while the crocodile can be identified through its tears. Here, the poet refers to the call of hyenas which sounds like a laugh and is hence called ‘hyena’s laugh’ and an idiom - ‘crocodile tears’ which means fake tears.