One of hundreds

of great lines by the great writer Mick Herron,
whose political thrillers are an hallucinogenic amalgam of Le Carré, Chandler, Kesey and Waugh, with some Gerald Seymour and 
Last Exit to Brooklyn for added (and deliciously-addled) atmosphere :-

...the only other customer was buried in an almost tangible fog of misery, staring into an abyss masquerading as a teacup.