Franchement...

4. Franchement...
pronounced more or less: frahn cheuh mehn (3 distinct syllables) OR frahnch mehn (2 syllables)
The "an" and "ent" are nasalized: to produce the correct sound, don't let your tongue touch the roof of your mouth.
Variant: Mais franchement...
Literal translation: "Frankly"
Implications: "Oh come ON!" / "Oh PLEase..."
Remarks: When used to modify a verb, franchement is synonymous with forthrightness and sincerity: Elle parle franchement, exprime ouvertement ce qu'elle pense. = "She speaks frankly, openly expresses what she thinks." When franchement stands alone, however, it tends to express two basic positions that may overlap: surprise bordering on disbelief in the face of what was just done or said, and/or disapproval in the face of what was just done or said.

Examples: Earlier this week I was standing at the counter of the village boulangerie/épicerie, waiting to buy my bread. Just ahead of me was an elderly gentlemen who looks like he's somewhere around 120. He asked for 2 baguettes and a cigarette lighter. The boulanger placed the items on  the counter and announced: "3 euros 60, s'il vous plaît." The old guy had in his hand more than enough coins to cover the purchase, but kept getting them confused and coming up short. Each time the boulanger repeated: "Non, non, c'est 3 euros 60." Finally he took the correct amount from the wrinkled old hand and ended the purchase with a, "Merci, bonne journée" ("thanks, have a nice day"). Then he turned to me, rolled his eyes and said, "franchement." Meaning: "Geesh, can you believe that?!"

Well, let's think about it: Obviously the guy's been around for a while, so he's seen the old French franc traded in for the new French franc, which in turn was traded in -- fairly recently -- for the euro. Plus he's practically deaf and on top of that may have been thinking about the price of baguettes at the time of the French bread war.

I left the store muttering, "franchement..." Come now,  monsieur le boulanger, how could you be so insensitive?