Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—B

Bearings

I'll bring him to his bearings. I'll bring him to his senses. A sea term. The bearings of a ship at anchor is that part of her hull which is on the water-line when she is in good trim. To bring a ship to her bearings is to get her into this trim. (Dana: The Seaman's Manual, 84.)

To lose one's bearings.
To become bewildered; to get perplexed as to which is the right road. To take the bearings. To ascertain the relative position of some object.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Bearnais
Bearded Women:
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