The detonation was surprisingly muted.

One effect of this, perhaps, was Mr. Clinton's surprisingly muted performance tonight, after a series of speeches in which he got good reviews from party audiences.

He drummed his fingers on the table, although the sound was surprisingly muted.

His surroundings are soothing, surprisingly muted for a playwright who springs a clever furniture joke in "The End of the Day."

Until now the debate over NATO expansion has been surprisingly muted and confined to foreign policy circles.

The violence is surprisingly muted, though the trash cans brimming with dead animal parts may make some viewers gag.

Instead, they came out against Dallas surprisingly muted, and were immediately stunned by the Mavericks' agile 6-foot-11-inch wonder from Germany, Dirk Nowitzki.

The turn toward show business at Mount Vernon could not be expected to go unchallenged, but protests have been surprisingly muted.

When the shot came at last it was surprisingly muted and un-warlike.