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> …接客用のメイドなんだから、泣くのはともかく笑えなくなるのって相当まずくない…？

ともかく is usually

> anyhow / at any rate / be that as it may / setting aside / is one thing

However using it like that the sentence would come out like

Since she's a maid for serving customers crying is one thing but isn't it
considerably bad not being able to smile ?

Somehow it doesn't sound right. It makes it appear that the crying thing is
rather acceptable while the biggest problem is not being able to smile.
Shouldn't this be inverted, that it's one thing not being able to smile but
crying is pretty bad ?

When ともかく is between verbs does it change it's priority ? Can someone explain
?
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2016-08-08T16:42:09.017
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question
grammar meaning
Can you explain ともかく in this case?
I think it's saying: crying is _definitely_ bad but (not considering that for
the current moment) isn't not being able to smile pretty bad?
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2016-08-08T16:54:33.643
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answer
～はともかく is a common set phrase which is used like a conjunctive meaning
_putting aside_ or _aside from_.

From [デジタル大辞泉](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/160357/meaning/m0u/):

> ２ （「…はともかく」の形で）…は別として。…はさておき。「交通の便は―、閑静でいい」

The speaker says that her inability to cry is a less important problem which
could be put aside (because she doesn't have to cry when working as a maid),
but her inability to smile is a critical problem as a maid.

You can find [more examples on
JGram](http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=hatomokaku).
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2016-08-09T01:30:53.427
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answer