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Informal French Expression
| Meaning | informal, simple, unfussy | |
| Literally | in the good frankness | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[ah lah buhn fra(n) keht] |
| IPA | [a la bɔn frɑ̃ kɛt ] | |
Usage notes: The informal and somewhat old-fashioned French expression à la bonne franquette is a way of describing something as simple or unfussy without any risk of insult. The word franquette, a diminutive of franc (frank, clean), is found only in this expression.
À la bonne franquette can serve as an adjective or adverb and is commonly use to describe simple meals.*
Par exemple…
| On va manger à la bonne franquette. | We’ll eat a simple meal. | |
| C’était une visite à la bonne franquette. | It was an unceremonious visit. |
Synonym: À la fortune du pot
* On the few occasions where I’ve been invited to a potluck (everyone bring a dish) sort of meal, it was described as à la bonne franquette, which seemed to be a description of the simple food at such occasions, rather than the actual concept of a potluck.
I’ve been told that the correct French equivalent of "potluck" is une auberge espagnole, but personally I’ve never heard that term used outside of linguistic discussions.
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