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This post is on von weiterem nicht zu reden as found in the following passage from Zwist unter Zauberern by Kurt Kusenberg.

Zauberer höheren Grades halten ihr Wissen nicht feil; wenn sie Geld benötigen, machen sie ein wenig Gold, und das reicht dann wieder für eine ganze Weile. Die beiden verstanden sich aber nich auf das Goldmachen; also mußten sie, um leben zu können, ihre Kunst stückweise verkaufen. Sie lebten übrigens nicht schlecht. Parock war sogar ein richtiger Prasser; was er verdiente, ging für Essen und Trinken dahin, von weiterem nicht zu reden.

QUESTION

  1. How should I understand the expression?

    (a) After the model of the English to say nothing of as in

    Jack paid all his father's debts, to say nothing of his own.

    in which Jack would have paid both his father's and his own debts. The expression would also add the suggestion that the discharge of his own debts would have come first, or been more obligatory. In this case, the story would be saying that Parock used his money on food, drink and other things as well.

    (b) As saying that after food and drink, there was no more money left for anything else. The idea would be that Parock was such a Prasser on food and drink. (This seems to make better sense in context.)

  2. If the answer to 1 was (b), is von x nicht zu reden a normal way of saying that, after what went before, x could not be thought of? For example, could one use von x nicht zu reden to say, 'Math homework took all his time, and French homework could not even be thought of'? How exactly would that go? Or does the expression only work in Kusenberg because of the context?

  3. Again assuming 1's answer was (b), what is the German equivalent of to say nothing of? For example, how can one say, 'He paid all his father's debts to say nothing of his own'? Please also give several more example if possible.

  4. If 1's answer was (a), please provide several more example sentences using von x nicht zu reden to mean to say nothing of.

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  • It's 1a) but the example sentences required would be totally unfitting as I'm pretty sure that phrase is an euphemism and masks whores in this case.
    – Janka
    Jul 22, 2019 at 2:31
  • @Janka. Oh my! A very particular reason for not mentioning weiterem.
    – Catomic
    Jul 22, 2019 at 2:35

1 Answer 1

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Parock war sogar ein richtiger Prasser; was er verdiente, ging für Essen und Trinken dahin, von weiterem nicht zu reden.

It's your solution 1.a) and means that he spent his money on food and drinks, not to mention other "goods". By not naming his other expenses, it's implied that they are objectionable (likely prostitutes as mentioned in Janka's comment, but it depends on how Parock is characterized in the book).

To quote George Best

I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.


4) Examples

From Robert Schumanns Briefe, 1904, p. 266 (google books)

[...] so daß die Tenor- und Sopranpartie von zwei Dilettanten übernommen werden mußten. Kaum die Noten trafen sie - von anderem gar nicht zu reden.

Hanns-Bruno Kammertons' Über allen Wipfeln in Die Zeit 1988:

Die Kollegen aus der Luftfahrtredaktion haben in diesen Tagen weiß Gott kein leichtes Amt. Selten hat der Alltag die Nachrichten so unbarmherzig diktiert. Müde Fluglotsen am Boden und darüber Boeings in Warteschleifen, von anderem gar nicht zu reden.

A letter from Dresden, German Democratic Republic 1987 (museumsstiftung):

Hier gibt’s als Gemüse und Obst nur Weiß- oder Rotkohl, weder Gurken, Tomaten, Möhren, Birnen oder gar Äpfel, von anderem gar nicht zu reden.

(it's more common with anderem than with weiterem).

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