squeeze-box

squeezebox

colloquial A musical instrument consisting of two hard ends connected by a bellows that one alternates between pulling and squeezing the so that the bellows draws in and then expels air, which passes over a vibrating to create the desired sound. Usually refers specifically to an accordion or concertina. Most kids his age want to play the drums or electric guitar, but he has always had a fascination with the squeezebox, of all things. My granddad could liven up any room just by picking up his squeezebox and playing some jaunty tune.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

(squeeze-)box

n. an accordion. (see also groan box.) My brother plays the squeeze-box—not very well, but who can tell? The band consisted of drums, clarinet, and a box. A real winner.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • squeezebox
  • like, you know
  • gotcha
  • playa
  • nome
  • Nome sane?
  • Nome sayin'?
  • like there ain't no tomorrow
  • Run that by one more time
  • Crown Vic
References in periodicals archive
YOU can talk of the romance of it all, the patched glamour of people pleased to tell you that the bobbies had to walk in pairs for their own protection, the kids dribbling cans in the jiggers behind the houses, the shawled Mary Ellens carrying baskets of fruit on their heads, the devout swots hoping for a place in a seminary, the pubs where toothless crones rattled their spoons to the rhythm of a squeeze-box, and then there were those priests striding the beat like crows in their black to accept tea and biscuits in the homes of the poor and faithful parishioners.
Faith, hope and tragedy; They died in their thousands in the cellar slums, but from that suffering grew a strange spirit and resilience which was to serve them well in the future, as David Charters reports in the second of our three-part series on Scotland Road
Gordie had his squeeze-box, you know, an accordion.
Jock Anderson Missing those he laid to rest. (Lives lived)
Ceilidhs, country dances, Mods, weddings, the White Heather Club and countless broadcasts wouldn't be worth a "hooch" without the squeeze-box, .
RECORD VIEW; Cool hand on wheel
Adding macho insult to ethnic injury, most of Proulx's squeeze-box players are men, who jealously guard the accordion as a man's instrument," cruelly, sometimes violently, inciting daughters and wives to permanent flight.
Accordion Crimes
Algora not infrequently worked the bellows of his squeeze-box without pressing the buttons -- effectively making the thing breathe (or wheeze) but not allowing it to sing.
The clicking of cockroach mandibles, carnivore indigestion
BEFORE that double helping of squeeze-box, there are two interesting shows on Tuesday.
Fans Toon into popular gigs
TORD Grip is planning to unveil his secret weapon to spur on England's injury-hit squad: his squeeze-box. Sven's No 2 has had his Calle Jularbo accordion flown out to the Far East so that he can serenade anyone who will listen with Swedish folk songs.
GOOD PLAYER, SO RHYTHMIC ..ER, ON THE ACCORDION
I intend voting for it, and as I'm sure Senator Camillus Glynn would attest to on his squeeze-box, sometimes the devil has all the best tunes."
Slight change of tune, Ciaran; MURPHY'S LAW
Instead, he loves the old-fashioned squeeze-box and counts Jimmy Shand among his heroes.
Gregor's no-tease squeeze
SQUEEZE-BOX Queen Sharon Shannon continues her Each Little Thing nationwide tour tonight in Dublin's Temple Bar Music Centre.
THE BIZ; Wally cleans up with a TV soap in the East; IT'S IRELAND'S HOTTEST SHOWBUSINESS COLUMN.
Squeeze-box queen Sharon Shannon plays Cork's The Lobby as part of the Celtic Flame Festival tonight.
THE BIZ: Bono wins go-ahead for Pop in the Park
Over the course of the evening he moved back and forth between two squeeze-boxes, a larger one and a smaller one, whose different tonalities may be akin to that of a tenor and soprano sax.
Al Bustan Festival embraces nature
The 13 band members aged 13 to 60 play squeeze-boxes, fiddle, keyboards, brass, percussion, harmonica and whistle.
GO: FOLK: A LOT OF FOSSE ABOUT LINE-UP