Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Usage examples of "semi-solid".
Fortunately, Dum-Dum said he had just the thing for them, a special concoction of his own devising, consisting of an astringent compounded of alum, sharkskin oil, hydrocortisone and a butylated cream to hold the ingredients into a semi-solid mass, guaranteed to either scare hemorrhoids back where they came from or simply dry the whole mess up into something that could be snipped off with a pair of surgical scissors.
This they packed into conical bags, like the ones used to make sugar-loaves, and hung them up over pots, rows of them dangling like the tits on a sow, except that instead of producing milk they dripped quicksilver, leaving a gleaming semi-solid mass inside the bags.