The kind of orator to nonplus (5)
I believe the answer is:
stump
'nonplus' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the kind of orator' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'sump' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'to' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for stump that I've seen before include "defeat" , "Floor" , "Projecting remnant" , "A single wicket" , "Wicket part - dumbfound" .)