Literal translation
that one, of a sudden!
Meaning
well I never!
Explanation
The interjection combines the demonstrative aquéu, that one, with the word còup, blow, time, turn, to form a short exclamation expressing sudden astonishment at an unexpected fact or remark. The expression has no real constructed literal meaning; it works as a spontaneous reaction, almost a cry of surprise, without any deeper logic beyond the pairing of these two familiar words. In function it resembles the French ça alors or the English well, I never, used to signal that an event exceeds what was expected, for better or worse, with a rising intonation that heightens the surprise. The register is purely oral and familiar, reserved for spontaneous exclamation in conversation and never used in formal writing. This expression shows how Provençal builds effective interjections out of ordinary words, without any elaborate figurative meaning, drawing instead on rhythm and intonation for its expressive force.