What's the difference between time's up and time's over?

[Truth4vahid]

What's the difference between time's up and time's over?

 

[GoesStation]

What's the difference between "time's up" and "time's over"?

The first is natural and meaningful. The second isn't.

 

[Truth4vahid]

The first is natural and meaningful. The second isn't.

But in the US, they use both of them. Why is that?

 

[GoesStation]

But in the US, they use both of them. Why is that?

Do you have a source for that? I'm American and have never heard or seen Time's over.

 

[probus]

But in the US, they use both of them. Why is that?

I don't think they use both in the USA or anywhere. In my 74 years I have lived in Canada, the USA, India and England, and I've never seen or heard "Time's over."

 

[Truth4vahid]

Thank you all guys. I found out, time's up it means time of something has finished. But time is over, it means it's too late to do something. Am I right?

 

[probus]

Nope. Time is over means nothing, as we said above. Slow down and think harder. You'll learn more that way.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thank you all. [STRIKE]guys.[/STRIKE]

I found out no comma here that "time's up" [STRIKE]it[/STRIKE] means that the time of something has finished, but "time is over" no comma here [STRIKE]it[/STRIKE] means it's too late to do something. Am I right?

Note my corrections above.

Please don't refer to us as "guys". We're not all male. As shown in post #2, you need to mark out the phrases you're talking about in some way. The most common way to do this is to enclose them in quotation marks.

 

[Truth4vahid]

Note my corrections above.

Please don't refer to us as "guys". We're not all male. As shown in post #2, you need to mark out the phrases you're talking about in some way. The most common way to do this is to enclose them in quotation marks.

Thanks for your correction. I'm learning some notable points. You keep me on the track in this way.

 

[Skrej]

Maybe this is a regional US thing, but I was shocked to hear some claim 'time's over' is meaningless. I was about to reply that they can be synonymous. I have definitely seen and used both versions in the context of a timed activity.

I strongly disagree that "time's over" is meaningless or unnatural.

 

[probus]

What's your region Skrej?

 

[probus]

Note my corrections above.

Please don't refer to us as "guys". We're not all male.

As I've remarked in the past, in current AmE parlance "guys" are both male and female, especially among younger speakers. When I say younger, I am thinking of my daughters, both in their early 40s.

 

[emsr2d2]

As I've remarked in the past, in current AmE parlance "guys" are both male and female, especially among younger speakers. When I say younger, I am thinking of my daughters, both in their early 40s.

I'm aware of that, and I have been known to address a group of my female friends as "guys". I just don't think it's a good idea to encourage learners to use it here. I think it should be used within a group of people who are very familiar with each other and that isn't the case on this forum.

 

[jutfrank]

Maybe this is a regional US thing, but I was shocked to hear some claim 'time's over' is meaningless. I was about to reply that they can be synonymous. I have definitely seen and used both versions in the context of a timed activity.

It must be an odd regional thing, then. I guess that to most of us, as to me, it sounds badly wrong. An event (the activity itself, or a lesson) can be 'over', which can include a periodic event (such as a week, or lunchtime, or Christmas) but not 'time' in the sense of a duration.

The following contrast shows what I see as the difference between up and over.

1) When two weeks are up, give me a call. :tick:
2) When two weeks are over, give me a call. :cross:

1 is correct because two weeks is meant as a duration.

3) When your two weeks are over, give me a call. :tick:

3 is also fine, since your two weeks is not meant as a duration, but as a periodic event. This same distinction applies to the use of during (i.e., during two weeks :cross:, but during your two weeks :tick.

This could mean, of course, that anyone uttering Time's over may simply be conceiving that Time refers to the timed period rather than to the duration, but I don't think that's how most people would conceive of it, which is why I guess some members here would consider it meaningless.