cola

Everyday

1. A sweet, fizzy, brown soft drink, flavoured partly with the kola nut and usually containing caffeine. tree →
2. The cola tree, a tropical tree whose nuts were first used for the flavour. tree →
3. Cola can also be a first name for a boy or a man. tree →

In the lessons

In health lessons, cola is a sugary drink: one can can have about 35 grams of sugar (around 9 teaspoons), plus acid and caffeine, which can harm teeth and make it hard to sleep, so it is a treat, not an everyday drink; diet cola has sweeteners instead of sugar but is still acidic. In science, the famous cola and mint experiment makes a fizzy fountain as gas bubbles escape fast (do it outside, with an adult). Cola is carbonated, meaning carbon dioxide is dissolved in it. Phrases: "a can of cola", "diet cola", "cola bottle", "cola sweets".

Examples

• Cola has lots of sugar and caffeine. tree →
• We dropped mints into the cola and it fizzed out. tree →
• Water is a better drink than cola. tree →
• Two colas and a lemonade, please. tree →
• The bubbles in cola are carbon dioxide gas. tree →
• A can of cola can have 9 teaspoons of sugar. tree →
• Leave a tooth in cola, and the acid slowly softens it. tree →
• Grandpa likes a glass of cola with ice. tree →
• When the King heard this, he told Cola-Mattheo to bring the snake to the palace, and said that he was prepared to receive the creature as his son-in-law. tree →

Note

"Cola" is a general word; brand names like Coca-Cola and Pepsi start with capitals. Mass or a drink: "some cola" (uncountable) or "a cola" (one serving). Myth: cola does not dissolve a tooth overnight, but its acid and sugar do harm teeth over time. In maths, 3 cans × 35 g of sugar = 105 g.