EARING-CRINGLE, at the Head of a Sail. In sail-making it is an eye spliced in the bolt-rope, to which the much smaller head-rope is attached. The earings are hauled out, or lashed to cleats on the yards passing through the head corners or cringles of the sails.
EARINGS. Certain small ropes employed to fasten the upper corners of a sail to its yard, for which purpose one end of the earing is passed through itself; and the other end is passed five or six times round the yard-arm, and through the cringle; the two first turns, which are intended to stretch the head of the sail tight along the yard, are passed beyond the lift and rigging on the yard-arm, and are called outer turns, while the rest, which draw it close up to the yard, and are passed within the lift, &c., are called inner turns. Below the above are the reef-earings, which are used to reef the sail when the reef-tackles have stretched it to take off the strain.
EARNE. See [Erne].
EARNEST. A sum paid in advance to secure a seaman's service.
EARS. In artillery the lugs or ear-shaped rings fashioned on the larger bombs or mortar-shells for their convenient handling with shell-hooks. The irregularity of surface caused by the ears is intended to be modified in future construction by the substitution of [lewis-holes] (which see).
EAR-SHOT. The distance or range of hearing.
EARS OF A BOAT. The knee-pieces at the fore-part on the outside at the height of the gunwale.
EARS OF A PUMP. The support of the bolt for the handle or break.
EARTH. One of the primary planets, and the third in order from the sun.
EARTH-BAGS. See [Sand-bags].