又中又英｜To put paid to something

There were many things I wanted to do while visiting Hong Kong after being away for nearly two years, but the weather put paid to that. Top on my to-do list was, of course, to see my close relatives and friends. Another top priority was to go to Hong Kong’s country parks, which I love, but the weather made me scrub my plan. I arrived in mid-April, which I now realize was bad timing. I should have known from many years living in Hong Kong that spring weather here is awful. To put paid to something means to put an end to it.
A to-do list is a list of things you want to do. To scrub a plan means to postpone something indefinitely. I scrubbed my plan to visit country parks because the weather was too humid and muggy, which means unpleasantly warm and damp. It was so muggy that even my suitcase had mould (mold for US spelling) on it. Mould is a fungus growth that happens during damp weather. Sizzling weather replaced muggy weather for much of May. There were also rainy days. Sizzling weather means very hot weather. The combination of muggy, sizzling, and rainy weather put paid to my plan to visit country parks.
I will leave Hong Kong soon for the US but plan to return in September. Autumn weather in Hong Kong is usually cool and crisp. The word “crisp” used this way means cool, dry, and bright. I hope the weather will be cool and crisp when I return but no one can be sure nowadays because of climate change.

我离开香港接近两年，再访港有许多事想做，但天气都毁掉了（put paid）那些计划。我那 to-do list的榜首，当然是想去见见我的近亲和朋友。另一样很想做的事就是去我爱的香港郊野公园，然而天气令我不得不无限期押后我的计划（scrub my plan）。我于四月中抵港，现在我知道那是个很不恰当的时机。我住在香港这么多年，好应知道这里的春天天气很可怕。To put paid to something意即结束或毁掉了某事。
A to-do list就是你想做的事情的清单。To scrub a plan是指无限期押后某事。我不得不无限期押后（scrubbed my plan）我去郊野公园的计划，因为天气实在太潮湿和 muggy，意即闷热潮湿。天气闷热潮湿（muggy）得就连我的行李箱上也长霉菌（mould，美式串法是mold）了。Mould就是潮湿天气下生长的霉菌。到了五月，大部分时间都变成了sizzling weather，取代了之前的闷热潮湿（muggy），同时亦有下雨天。Sizzling weather是指非常灼热的天气。闷热潮湿（muggy）、灼热（sizzling weather）加上下雨的天气，尽都延迟了（put paid）我想去逛郊野公园的计划。
我很快便会离开香港去美国，但计划于九月回港。香港的秋天通常都是清爽和 crisp的—— crisp在这里是指清新、干爽、怡人的。我希望我再回来时，天气会变得清凉干爽（crisp），但今时今日因为气候变化，没有人可以说得准。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻

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