A mostly-
maligned
musical instrument. Probably best described as a
portable organ —
insert own joke here. The accordion is basically a
bellows with a
small keyboard and/or
buttons on one end. The bellows provides both air to create the sound as well as giving those neglected quads a work-out.
The accordion is related to the concertina which is smaller and therefor presumably less threatening. It has been said that the definition of a gentleman is someone who knows how to play the accordion, but doesn't.
Sample accordion joke:
A woman drives downtown to the library. She parks out front and goes inside. A few minutes later as she stands in the book check-out line she remembers — she left her accordion in full view in the back seat! Dropping the books, she runs from the library and out to the street...
But it's too late. The back window has been totally smashed out and where her accordion sat only minutes ago, now sits two accordions!
(this joke was told to me a few years ago by a woman who used to babysit me oh, so many years ago)