Crossword Genius

Man-eater exchanges tips with hoary old general (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hannibal

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'general' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'man-eater exchanges tips with hoary old' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'man' could be 'al' and 'al' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hannibal that I've seen before include "Carthaginian general, d.182 BC" , "Carthaginian general who fought Rome" , "Great Carthaginian general who led army over the Alps against Rome" , "Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps to defeat Rome" , "Carthaginian general who crossed Alps to attack Rome" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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