1) Klaun in letter 5 Gentze/Fredersdorf: I figured it was "Klaue" myself, as in "claw", of an animal, speaking metaphorically, not a claw can get in or out, but in English it's mouse, so that's what I wrote.
See, that's exactly what I thought (and that partly governed my decipherment choices), but it's not an expression I was familiar with in German, so I left it up to you all to determine if I'd read it correctly.
One thing is sure, though, I totally get why Volz & Co. didn't publish these letters, and it's not about prudery, it's that they're as funny as most inside jokes are to people not on the inside and otherwise smack less of high spirits than of wannabe fratboyness and cheer.
Yep, I had the same reaction. These letters are not as much fun as I'd hoped, and I have no urge to publish them, even if I could fully decipher them!
Re: Some more observations
See, that's exactly what I thought (and that partly governed my decipherment choices), but it's not an expression I was familiar with in German, so I left it up to you all to determine if I'd read it correctly.
One thing is sure, though, I totally get why Volz & Co. didn't publish these letters, and it's not about prudery, it's that they're as funny as most inside jokes are to people not on the inside and otherwise smack less of high spirits than of wannabe fratboyness and cheer.
Yep, I had the same reaction. These letters are not as much fun as I'd hoped, and I have no urge to publish them, even if I could fully decipher them!