G'day Len Wallace,

I presume you mean the little button accordion (as played by Leadbelly).

The simple, German-style ones with only a simple "spoon" valve for bass are legitimately called melodeons (and lots of Pommies and Irish illegitimately call the more complex accordions by that name).

I played for Croatians once and they called my German button accordion armonica Triestina (which mistakenly atributes it to the Italians).

BTW: I thought that squashbox to South Africans was the simple German concertina ('Scholers' and similar cheap models sold to low paidworkers.

Of course, all accordion can be called "nipple pinchers"

Regards,

Bob Bolton