time T
/ti:m T/ An unspecified but usually well-understood time, often used in
conjunction with a later time T+1. "We'll meet on campus at time T or at Louie's
at time T+1" means, in the context of going out for dinner: "We can meet on
campus and go to Louie's, or we can meet at Louie's itself a bit later."
(Louie's was a Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto that was a favourite with
hackers.) Had the number 30 been used instead of the number 1, it would have
implied that the travel time from campus to Louie's is 30 minutes; whatever time
T is (and that hasn't been decided on yet), you can meet half an hour later at
Louie's than you could on campus and end up eating at the same time.
See also since time T equals minus infinity.
[Jargon File]
(1994-12-12)
Nearby terms:
time sink « time slice « times-or-divided-by «
time T
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