If you start, then pause a timer, the counter still appears to tick down to 1, then "halts" there. As soon as you resume the timer, it ticks the last second off the clock, and executes the command.

For example:
/timer 1 10 /echo -a *** test
* Timer 1 activated
/timer1 -p
* Timer 1 paused

[The timer is paused a second or two after its started]
[Wait 10 seconds or so]

/timers
* Active timers:
* Timer 1 1 time(s) 10s delay /echo -a *** test (GamesNET)

[Wait another 10 seconds or so (just to be sure)]

/timer1 -r
* Timer 1 resumed
*** test
* Timer 1 halted

[The last bit happening within a second of me resuming the timer]

I just tried it here and it appears that the -p switch just prevents the timer from executing until it's resumed. So if you pause and resume within the 10 seconds, the timer will still trigger at the normal time. If the timer is late (as it does every time a timer is late), it'll trigger as soon as possible. It's not necessairily a bug, just the help fails to explain the behaviour.

It also appears to restart the clock each time it's triggered, unless you use the -c switch.

the time delay is the amount of time before the next occurance of the command the timer has, it doesnt tick down every second, it just goes off as soon as its checked and its after that time, ie: set it off "timer 1 10 echo Blah" at exactly 12:46:19 and it well trigger as soon as timers are checked after 12:46:29, a -p pause the timer from running its commands (and thus other repetitions). The other thing i found with timers is if it is delayed from going off at 12:46:29
to sasy 12:46:32 the next one well go off at 12:46:42 ten seconds later. Which does kinda make sence, and you can correct that using -c

But i do agree with you, you would think a timer paused is a timer paused. but i guess its how its designed, each one trips after a period of time from its start time, not after a period of time running.

I just read that as it pauses the timer, not the command its going to execute. (That's what I need it to do too, pause the timer - stop the clock ticking down).

i suggest these...

alias fix.timer.pause {
$+(.timer,$$1,.resume 1 0 .timer,$$1,.resumedelay 1 $timer($$1).secs .timer,$$1 -r)
$+(.timer,$$1,.resume -p)
$+(.timer,$$1 -p)
}

alias fix.timer.resume {
$+(.timer,$$1,.resume -r)
}

you are responseable for passing it valid timers in $1
It does no error checking beyond not doing anything is $1 is empty.

It well cause the timer to be paused and resumed as you would like it.