Get their bearings

Question

What's the meaning of "get their bearings" in the following dialogue:

- The lions jumped Wilson. We got separated.

- But how?

- Never mind how. Kumba, get their bearings. By the River, North.

- [Kumba shouts some commands in swahili to the native porters]

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Get one's bearings = locate oneself in space and determine direction and distance to a goal; orient oneself.

Gamboler · Answer

Thanks micawber, I knew the general meaning of the idiom, but after your explanation I still have doubts about the intention in the aforementioned dialogue.

Does it mean "Kumba, follow the lions because they attacked Wilson"? (Notice that the man who speaks uses "their" before bearings)

Or does the sentence mean "Kumba, forget Wilson, orient yourself and your porters and go by the river to the North"?

Or, maybe "Orient yourself, Kumba, because we need to find Wilson" (this will imply that he is concerned about Wilson because he thinks that the lions didn't devour him).

CalifJim · Answer

gambolerWhat's the meaning of "get their bearings" in the following dialogue:

- The lions jumped Wilson. We got separated.
- But how?
- Never mind how. Kumba, get their bearings. By the River, North.
- [Kumba shouts some commands in swahili to the native porters]

It seems to me that Kumba is a translator. The speaker is asking Kumba to relay to the porters that they are to look for the lions (and/or Wilson) to the north, by the river. Thus, "get their bearings" is "determine their location" or "find out where they are" -- more specifically than just the general location "by the river, north".

CJ

Clive · Answer

Hi Gamboler,

Are you sure that it was 'Get their bearings' and not 'Get their bearing'?
The latter seems more natural to me.

eg If you want to go at night to the big treel in the far distance, you take out a compass during the day and and get its bearing, not its bearings.

Clive

Gamboler · Answer

Clive, I think I hear "bearings" but you can judge yourself by listening to the audio file attached.

Five minutes later in the movie, they use the same word in another dialogue. This new sentence is: "No. Today there's a better use for diamonds. Commercial, militar. Industrial diamonds for cutting tools and bearings".

I suspect that in the second sentence "bearings" is used in the sense of "a device that reduces the friction of motion between fixed and moving machine parts" Nothing to do with orientation. Am I right? Maybe they pretend to mean something similar in the first one. Could they use "bearings" meaning the bundles or the baggage of Mr. Wilson, supposedly eaten by the lions. That explanation would make more sense for me than the other one, but I'm not sure if it's possible in English to use "bearings" meaning bundles or belongings. And, yes, as it was said, Kumba is the native translator of the hunters.

Clive · Answer

Hi,
Clive, I think I hear "bearings" but you can judge yourself by listening to the audio file attached.
I can't hear it clearly enough.

Five minutes later in the movie, they use the same word in another dialogue. This new sentence is: "No. Today there's a better use for diamonds. Commercial, militar. Industrial diamonds for cutting tools and bearings".

I suspect that in the second sentence "bearings" is used in the sense of "a device that reduces the friction of motion between fixed and moving machine parts" Nothing to do with orientation. Am I right? Yes
Maybe they pretend to mean something similar in the first one. If you are suggesting that a group of Swahili-speaking people in Africa, carrying devices that reduce the friction of motion between fixed and moving machine parts, are being eaten by lions, I can only commend your imagination.

Could they use "bearings" meaning the bundles or the baggage of Mr. Wilson, supposedly eaten by the lions. That explanation would make more sense for me than the other one, but I'm not sure if it's possible in English to use "bearings" meaning bundles or belongings. No. That word would be 'burdens'. And, yes, as it was said, Kumba is the native translator of the hunters.

Clive

Gamboler · Answer

Not my imagination, Clive, but the scriptwriter's.

Another possibility: Maybe the man who speaks says "get the burdens" instead of "get their bearings". Notice that he uses a false Russian accent. In fact, the actor who plays the caracter (Charles Korvin) was born in Hungary, having studied English in the United States for 12 years. If this is the case "the burdens" would be Wilson's baggage.

I think that the answer is in the audio file. Does he say "the burdens" or "their bearings"? As English is not my native language, I'm afraid I need your opinion again. Luckily, the recording is clear, considering that this is a 1952 soundtrack.

Clive · Answer

Hi,
As I said, I can't hear clearly what is said.

Clive

Gamboler · Answer

Thanks, Clive.

Maybe we need the opinion of other members of the forum about the word (bearings vs. burdens) in the audio file.

Mister Micawber · Answer

That word is absolutely unintelligible! It sounds like he forgot his lines and swallowed that part of it.

We got separated, but how?--
Never mind how. We'll get to [placename?!] / get the ?? - [swahili command]

Get their bearings

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