Soon the softening nuggets floated in a muddy liquid that actually did look like gravy ... either that, Anderson thought, or something out of a backed-up septic tank.

The hot and muddy liquid went by the name of coffee.

Then he put two ice cubes into one of the glasses, poured muddy liquid on top, took a sip, and leaned back to gaze around the room in contentment.

PARTRIDGE turned off the Bunsen burner, and watched the gold flakes settle to the bottom of the muddy liquid.

Casey bragged bubblingly, running his words together as if they were being poured in muddy liquid from his mouth.

He popped the ring and slurped the muddy liquid.

As she was handing it back, the tall, ungainly glass began to tumble; the dark, muddy liquid poured onto the table, oozing down his tie and over his jacket.

She hauled the bag out of the muddy liquid and dropped it on the tray, where it lost shape in the midst of an expanding stain, then fed herself a sip from the mug.

He held a test-tube between me and the light, and I noted the cloudy or muddy liquid it contained.

He drank the muddy black liquid simply out of a nervous desire to be doing something.