pull, tug, jerk, admit, install, quote, refer to
曳 centers on pulling or dragging something with effort: a tug or jerk. The meanings 'admit', 'install', 'quote', and 'refer to' are less common and may represent extended uses where something is drawn in or brought forward.
曳 is thought to combine 日 (sun) and 乙 (a curved line), possibly depicting the sun being pulled or dragged across the sky. The exact historical development is uncertain.
The top 日 looks like a heavy object, and the lower 乙 resembles a hook or rope pulling it. Imagine dragging a stubborn sun across the sky with a rope.
For エイ, picture pulling a heavy 'A' frame with great effort: 'A' -> エイ, and you tug it into place.
towing (a ship)
festival float
something so heavy it must be pulled by a thousand men; pulling with strength of a thousand people
flutter; linger
heaving; pulling
tracer bullet; star shell; flare bomb
jinrikisha puller
building relocation (without disassembly); house relocation
airburst; bursting in the air (of a shell, projectile, etc.)
time-fuze shell; time-fuse shell; air-burst shell
tracer bullet; tracer shell
dragnet; seine
building relocation (without disassembly); house relocation
tugboat; tug; towboat
minohiki chicken (Japanese long-tailed breed)