bearing

*one's bearings

the knowledge of where one is; the knowledge of how one is oriented to one's immediate environment. (*Typically: get ~; find ~; have ~; lose ~; tell one ~.) After he fell, it took Ted a few minutes to get his bearings. Jean found her compass and got her bearings almost immediately.

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.

Prov. Do not trust an opponent who offers to do something nice for you. (A line from the story of the Trojan horse, as told in Vergil's Aeneid.) Jill: I can't believe Melanie brought me cookies today, when we've been fighting for weeks. Jane: Beware of Greeks bearing gifts. She probably has ulterior motives. When the rival company invited all his employees to a Christmas party, Tom's first impulse was to beware of Greeks bearing gifts, but then he upbraided himself for being paranoid.

See also: beware, gift, Greek

have (some) bearing on something

to have relevance to something. (Note the use of no and any in the negative.) I know something that has some bearing on the issue you are discussing. This has no bearing on anything that will happen today. This doesn't have any bearing on all that. What bearing does John's decision have on the situation?

See also: have

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get your bearings

to feel sure of your abilities Lonely and upset, she moved in with her parents to try to get her bearings.

Usage notes: the opposite meaning is expressed by lose your bearings: For a short time after my mother died, my father seemed to lose his bearings.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of bearings (your position in relation to other things)

See also: get