又中又英｜To play cat and mouse

Most Hong Kong people know taxis are hard to come by during typhoons and rainstorms. If something is hard to come by, it means it is difficult to find or get. I had an important appointment in Central last Tuesday when the Observatory issued the amber rainstorm warning, then raised it to red. I didn't try looking for a taxi. Walking to the MTR wearing a suit was impossible because I would get soaked even with an umbrella. I booked an Uber. A polite driver in a Tesla arrived in about six minutes!

The fare was higher than normal, but taxi drivers also demand higher fares during storms even though it's illegal. Opinion polls show most Hong Kong people prefer Uber because taxi drivers are rude, and their vehicles are not clean. But most Uber drivers do not have government hire-car permits. That's why the taxi trade wants the government to ban Uber. Some taxi drivers even tried to play cat and mouse with Uber drivers. To play cat and mouse means to try to deceive people by tricking them into making mistakes.

The taxi drivers, pretending to be passengers, booked Uber rides to destinations where they had asked police to wait. But the trick failed because the police only asked the Uber drivers a few questions and then left. The government will release an initial report in July on whether to legalize ride-hailing services such as Uber. Most developed cities allow Uber or other ride-hailing apps. Hong Kong would stick out like a sore thumb if the government bans Uber. To stick out like a sore thumb means to be very noticeable in a bad way.

大部分香港人都知道，在台风及暴雨期间实在很难截到（hard to come by）的士。若某事物是hard to come by，意即它是很难找得到或取得。上星期二，我有一个很重要的约会，却正值天文台发出黄色暴雨，然后又转为红色暴雨警告之时。我没有尝试截的士，但亦不可能穿着西装去搭港铁，因为即使撑伞也会全身湿透。我预订了Uber，一位驾着Tesla，彬彬有礼的司机只消6分钟便到达！

这一程的车资比平常要高，但的士司机在暴风雨期间亦会索取更高的车资，即使是非法的。意见调查显示，大部分香港人都宁愿搭Uber，因为的士司机粗鲁无礼，车厢亦不洁净。但大部分的Uber司机都没有政府的出租汽车许可证，因此的士业界希望政府可以禁止Uber。有一些的士司机甚至跟Uber司机 play cat and mouse——to play cat and mouse是指哄骗人，让人上当而做错事。

的士司机假装乘客预订Uber，目的地却早已找了警察来等他们。但这计谋失败了，因为警方只是问了Uber司机几条问题便离开。政府将于7月发表初步调研结果，讨论如Uber般的网约叫车应否合法化。大部分已发展城市都会容许Uber或其他叫车的手机程式。若政府禁止Uber的话，香港便会“突出如受伤疼痛的拇指”（stick out like a sore thumb）——to stick out like a sore thumb是指很显眼、碍眼，与四周格格不入而显得突兀。
 
mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻