TIM

What Does TIM Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

TIM means "Time Is Money" and is a nickname for fans of Glasgow Celtic Football Club.

Time Is Money

The abbreviation TIM is used with the meaning "Time Is Money" as a way of saying that time is valuable and shouldn't be wasted. For example:

Les: Can you finish work early?
Ali: I'm afraid not. TIM!

Lou: When should we start?
Sam: Let's start now. TIM!

The phrase "Time Is Money" is usually credited to Benjamin Franklin, who used it in an essay Advice to a Young Tradesman, 1748: "Remember that time is money. He that idly loses five shillings' worth of time loses five shillings, and might as prudently throw five shillings into the sea." However, the saying is widely held to have been in common use much earlier.

Glasgow Celtic Fans

Tim is a nickname for fans of Scottish football club Glasgow Celtic FC. It is thought to have its origins in the name of a Catholic street gang from the early 1900's, which was named after the gang leader, Tim Malloy. Among some Protestants in Scotland, Tim is used as a generic germ to refer to all Scottish Catholics, not just Celtic fans.

Image for TIM

When I write TIM, I mean this:

Tim is also a nickname for fans of Glasgow Celtic FC.

Summary of Key Points

"Time Is Money" is, by far, the most common meaning for TIM when it is used in a text. (Bear in mind that it could have another meaning if used in a different context.)

TIM
Definition:	Time Is Money
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

An Academic Look at TIM

TIM is an initialism abbreviation. Technically, this means it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., "Tee Eye Emm"). However, it is not often uttered using its letters. The abbreviation TIM is for efficiency in writing rather than for efficiency in speech. The phrase "Time Is Money" is a conceptual metaphor. A conceptual metaphor is a metaphor (or figurative comparison) in which one idea (or conceptual domain) is understood in terms of another. Other examples of conceptual metaphors include: