Word of the Day: Squash

Sometimes I feel like I'm teaching English in a foreign country. Today's word is "squash" - the drink, not the verb, sport, or vegetable. I pick up a bottle of the drink in my favorite New York supermarket (they also sell imported English tea). The Americans look back in confusion. "This is orange squash," I explain. A vague look of comprehension passes over some of the faces. "So it's a mixture of orange and squash juice in a plastic bottle?" one of them asks. I shake my head; this class is not going well. "It's concentrated orange juice," I start in my lecturing voice. "You pour a bit into a cup and then top it up with water." A general murmur of "water" goes around the group. Questions start flying everywhere: why do you have to add water; why not just drink fresh orange juice; why is it called squash? I shrug miserably and offer in weak protest: "It tastes really good." The class disintegrates.