Literal translation
in Gonfaron, donkeys fly
Meaning
I don't believe a word of it, mere hot air
Explanation
This expression voices total disbelief at a claim seen as far-fetched, by turning it back with an equally impossible image. Gounfaroun names Gonfaron, a village in the Var chosen here solely for the sound of its name, with no particular reputation attached ; leis ai (the donkeys, ai meaning donkey) volon (fly, from voula, meaning to fly through the air, distinct from the similar-sounding voulé, to want) present an image just as absurd as the promise one pretends to believe. The construction follows a classic rhetorical device, the ironic false concession : one tops the claim with another absurdity, without directly contradicting the speaker, equally unlikely, to underline by comparison how implausible the original statement is. The register is familiar and readily mocking, used when someone announces something clearly unrealistic, such as the disappearance of taxes, answered on the spot with this formula, which conveys amused scepticism, with no real rebuttal.