The news is 'hardly' surprising. = The news is 'hardly' a surprise. [=the news is not surprising at all]
“Is this a new idea for a movie?” “'Hardly'! I've seen dozens of movies just like it.”
I could 'hardly' believe my eyes. [=it was difficult to believe what I was seeing]
(..) That's as far as I've gotten. This is ridiculous. I'm jumping in. Good luck. No, you're coming with me. Oh, I hardly think so. Oh, come on. Aren't you afraid I'll embarrass you? Yes; but I need a wing man. All right, but if we're going to use flight metaphors, I'm much more suited to being the guy (..)2007 TvShow: The Big Bang Theory Title: The Middle Earth Paradigm Season: 1 Episode 6