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Timbits
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:timbits, TimBits, tim bits
1n. pl. — proprietary, Food
a brand name for a ball-shaped confection sold at Tim Hortons in various flavours; a doughnut hole (see Image 1).
Type: 1. Origin — Tim Horton, a former Canadian NHL hockey player, opened the first Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut shop (then spelt with an apostrophe "Tim Horton's") in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario. After achieving early success, the company began to expand its menu, releasing the now-famous, bite-sized Timbits in 1976 (see Tim Hortons reference, "About Us").
Timbits have been adopted as a symbol of Canadian culture and identity comparable to major symbols such as the beaver and the maple leaf (Joyce and Thompson 2006: 232-233). When compared with another term for the confection, "doughnut holes", Timbits proves far more common in Canada (compare index in Chart 1 with combined indexes in Charts 2 and 3). Charts 2 and 3 also reveal that "donut" is the preferred Canadian spelling, not "doughnut".
Timbits have been adopted as a symbol of Canadian culture and identity comparable to major symbols such as the beaver and the maple leaf (Joyce and Thompson 2006: 232-233). When compared with another term for the confection, "doughnut holes", Timbits proves far more common in Canada (compare index in Chart 1 with combined indexes in Charts 2 and 3). Charts 2 and 3 also reveal that "donut" is the preferred Canadian spelling, not "doughnut".
Quotations
1984
Children and teachers from Brown School sang a cute little song about Toronto composed for the occasion, the Coca-Cola flowed and many thousands of TimBit donuts were demolished as thanks were offered to the almighty and the Ontario Municipal Board for the state of affairs in this tiny, perfect city.
1988
And what would a Tim Horton's camp be without doughnuts? Timbits and doughnuts are given to the campers twice during their visit. A Tim Horton birthday cake with the names of children who are celebrating their birthdays that week is also served.
1994
Here's a standard day in Moncton: Swing by the Tim's drive-thru on the way to work; buy two large double-doubles, one for now, one to put in the microwave on break. Run across at lunchtime for a coffee and timbits; stop by to see the gang at the Elmwood Drive Tim's for an after-work cup. Get away from the kids after supper by sneaking out for a cup in the mini-van. Coffee (and Tim's) is a serious business here.
2002
"I have 20/20 vision," said Robin, who has to train just as hard as he did for the Nagano Olympics to be able to ski with his younger brother. "Brian has somewhere between 2200 and 2400. He says if vision is a snack, he can't see the Timbit, but he can see some of the doughnut."
2005
Best-selling Aussie author Donna Hay is about to arrive in the land of Timbits and maple syrup to promote her newest cookbook, The Instant Cook.
2008
The challenge for most North Americans is getting beyond the hardwired association between assembly-line food and industrial soda or beer. For years I've kept a log of offbeat wine pairings, things like chardonnay with popcorn, port with Timbits and baco noir with Buffalo wings. I think of it as my "TV guide to food and wine."
2010
Tim Hortons is a Canadian Football League sponsor. They could offer Timbits by the baker's dozen at all their Edmonton locations next week and call it the Rider Pride pack. Saskatchewan got the hole in the doughnut last year, after all.
2014
No one expected Urban Herbivore's sweet potato date muffin to contain nearly 1,000 calories. Not the registered dietitian called to remark on the monstrous muffin, not the hundreds of Star readers who wrote comments and letters after learning the healthy sounding item was the calorie-equivalent of 14 chocolate glazed Timbits.
2016
Talking with the manager, while retrieving our coats, we discovered that this reaction is typical of Raja patrons. As a result they simplified their dessert menu to include a selection of sorbets, mango ice cream and what we opted for, the Gulab Jamun. This consisted of two Timbit sized donuts soaked in a sweet sauce and we savoured every bite.
2n. — Sports, Hockey
a sports division for children between four and eight years old; the players within this division.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — Timbits is the name of the minor league sports division sponsored by Tim Hortons in both Canada and the United States. Officially titled the "Timbits Minor Sports Program", the goal of the initiative is to promote team camaraderie and fun while learning new sports (see Tim Hortons reference, "Local Programs"). The types of sports currently (in 2014) include hockey, soccer, lacrosse, t-ball, baseball and ringette.
The popularity of the program has led to widespread recognition. This, in combination with the size of Timbit donut holes compared to regular donuts, has resulted in the semantic expansion of Timbits to refer to the young athletes themselves (see, for example, the 2006 and 2014 quotations). From there the occasional semantic extension to mean 'children' has been anecdotally attested in speech, but so far we have not found it in writing. Timbits is also most frequent in Canada in sports contexts (see Chart 4).
The popularity of the program has led to widespread recognition. This, in combination with the size of Timbit donut holes compared to regular donuts, has resulted in the semantic expansion of Timbits to refer to the young athletes themselves (see, for example, the 2006 and 2014 quotations). From there the occasional semantic extension to mean 'children' has been anecdotally attested in speech, but so far we have not found it in writing. Timbits is also most frequent in Canada in sports contexts (see Chart 4).
Timbits in this sense is often used attributively, particularly in conjunction with "team" or the name of a specific sport (i.e. Timbits hockey).
Quotations
1987
The Welland Tim Horton TimBits team has 10- and 11-year-olds that look like any other ballplayers. But, if you look closely, the player tending second base is wearing earrings.
1997
Howson says he has donated a lot of time to coaching two hockey teams in Essex, (the Essex Piggy Mart, atom division team and the Timbits, novice junior team) and resents paying twice as much as last year.
2002
Timbits is the entry-level minor hockey program for children five to seven-years-old, which emphasizes skill development, fair play and fun.
2006
She also quipped that Sudbury is a hockey town; "from the cuteness of our little TimBits to our cute Sudbury Wolves."
2014
Mini soccer had to postpone their last day and celebrations due to rain but they will be wrapping up their season this coming up week. Look for all the little Timbits running through our community soon for all the mini players will be taking their uniforms home to wear with pride.
References
- Tim Hortons • "About Us"
- Tim Hortons • "Local Programs"
- Joyce & Thompson (2006)
Images
Image 1: Three Timbits. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Photo: Open Domain
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 27 Jun. 2014
Chart 2: Internet Domain Search, 27 Jun. 2014
Chart 3: Internet Domain Search, 31 May 2016
