Literal translation
what nonsense!
Meaning
what nonsense! (milder than its French equivalent)
Explanation
An exclamation of exasperation or mockery built on the exclamatory que and the noun couiounado, denoting a foolish word or act, a piece of nonsense, a silly remark. The word belongs to the same family as couioun, fool, and couiouna, to joke or to deceive, a lexical family very much alive in popular Provençal speech to name anything touching on silliness, pranks, or foolishness, without carrying the heavier insult of other words from the same root. The expression belongs to a familiar register, often said with a smile, to comment on a blunder, an absurd remark, or a poorly thought-out decision, in the same spirit as the French quelle bêtise! or quelle blague!. Its force lies in the lightness of the reproach: it is the act itself that is called foolish, which softens the criticism by sparing the person.