bearings, getting one's

[Anonymous]

The two stars that form the pouring edge of the bowl of
the Big Dipper [Ursa Major = big bear] point to ...

Polaris
1. the polestar or North Star ... in the constellation
Ursa Minor [Little Bear]: the outermost star in the
handle of the Little Dipper.

Does this explain why, in English, the process of determining
the direction you face is called "getting one's bearings"?

bearings
9. a horizontal direction expressed in degrees east
or west of ... north ...

submitted by
Israel Cohen
izzy_cohen@bmc.com

 

[Tdol]

I always thought so.