Because the dentist may be a bear, or as the Romans used to say......

[samfat33]

What does the poet mean by " Because the dentist may be a bear, or as the Romans used to say, only they were referring to a feminine bear when they said it, an ursa,".Its from "This is going to hurt just a little bit" by Ogden Nash.

[Naamplao]

What does the poet mean by " Because the dentist may be a bear, or as the Romans used to say, only they were referring to a feminine bear when they said it, an ursa,".Its from "This is going to hurt just a little bit" by Ogden Nash.

I just read the poem...actually it is more of a rant than a poem. He has a rambling way of writing and is quite funny. If you see the humour in this poem then you can truly say you understand English

This whole line is just comparing the dentist's action to that of a bear. He digresses a bit by giving the latin name for bear "ursa" which is what the Romans would call the animal.

Why does he write like this? I think it is to show in the character of a man who is comically frightened of going to the dentist. By writing in this rambling way he communicates the confusion in his mind.