diff --git a/core/modern/modern.factor b/core/modern/modern.factor
index 3b861ac5c7..e918612eaf 100644
--- a/core/modern/modern.factor
+++ b/core/modern/modern.factor
@@ -206,9 +206,9 @@ MACRO:: read-double-matched ( open-ch -- quot: ( n string tag ch -- n' string se
         } case
      ] ;
 
-: read-double-matched-paren ( n string tag ch -- n' string seq ) char: ( read-double-matched ;
-: read-double-matched-bracket ( n string tag ch -- n' string seq ) char: [ read-double-matched ;
-: read-double-matched-brace ( n string tag ch -- n' string seq ) char: { read-double-matched ;
+: read-double-matched-paren ( n string tag ch -- n' string seq ) char: \( read-double-matched ;
+: read-double-matched-bracket ( n string tag ch -- n' string seq ) char: \[ read-double-matched ;
+: read-double-matched-brace ( n string tag ch -- n' string seq ) char: \{ read-double-matched ;
 
 defer: lex
 defer: lex-factor
@@ -248,9 +248,9 @@ MACRO:: read-matched ( ch -- quot: ( n string tag -- n' string slice' ) )
         } cond
     ] ;
 
-: read-bracket ( n string slice -- n' string slice' ) char: [ read-matched ;
-: read-brace ( n string slice -- n' string slice' ) char: { read-matched ;
-: read-paren ( n string slice -- n' string slice' ) char: ( read-matched ;
+: read-bracket ( n string slice -- n' string slice' ) char: \[ read-matched ;
+: read-brace ( n string slice -- n' string slice' ) char: \{ read-matched ;
+: read-paren ( n string slice -- n' string slice' ) char: \( read-matched ;
 
 : read-backtick ( n string opening -- n' string obj )
     [
@@ -260,10 +260,10 @@ MACRO:: read-matched ( ch -- quot: ( n string tag -- n' string slice' ) )
 
 : read-string-payload ( n string -- n' string )
     over [
-        { char: \ char: \" } slice-til-separator-inclusive {
+        { char: \\ char: \" } slice-til-separator-inclusive {
             { f [ drop ] }
             { char: \" [ drop ] }
-            { char: \ [ drop next-char-from drop read-string-payload ] }
+            { char: \\ [ drop next-char-from drop read-string-payload ] }
         } case
     ] [
         string-expected-got-eof
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ MACRO:: read-matched ( ch -- quot: ( n string tag -- n' string slice' ) )
     tag 1 cut-slice* dquote-literal make-matched-literal ;
 
 : take-comment ( n string slice -- n' string comment )
-    2over ?nth char: [ = [
+    2over ?nth char: \[ = [
         [ 1 + ] 2dip 2over ?nth read-double-matched-bracket
     ] [
         [ slice-til-eol drop dup ] dip 1 cut-slice* line-comment-literal make-delimited-literal
@@ -409,16 +409,16 @@ MACRO: rules>call-lexer ( seq -- quot: ( n/f string -- n'/f string literal ) )
     '[ _ slice-til-either _ case ] ;
 
 CONSTANT: factor-lexing-rules {
-    T{ line-comment-lexer { generator read-exclamation } { delimiter char: ! } }
+    T{ line-comment-lexer { generator read-exclamation } { delimiter char: \! } }
     T{ backtick-lexer { generator read-backtick } { delimiter char: ` } }
-    T{ backslash-lexer { generator read-backslash } { delimiter char: \ } }
-    T{ dquote-lexer { generator read-string } { delimiter char: \" } { escape char: \ } }
+    T{ backslash-lexer { generator read-backslash } { delimiter char: \\ } }
+    T{ dquote-lexer { generator read-string } { delimiter char: \" } { escape char: \\ } }
     T{ decorator-lexer { generator read-decorator } { delimiter char: @ } }
     
-    T{ colon-lexer { generator read-colon } { delimiter char: : } }
-    T{ matched-lexer { generator read-bracket } { delimiter char: [ } }
-    T{ matched-lexer { generator read-brace } { delimiter char: { } }
-    T{ matched-lexer { generator read-paren } { delimiter char: ( } }
+    T{ colon-lexer { generator read-colon } { delimiter char: \: } }
+    T{ matched-lexer { generator read-bracket } { delimiter char: \[ } }
+    T{ matched-lexer { generator read-brace } { delimiter char: \{ } }
+    T{ matched-lexer { generator read-paren } { delimiter char: \( } }
     
     T{ terminator-lexer { generator read-terminator } { delimiter char: ; } }
     T{ terminator-lexer { generator read-terminator } { delimiter char: ] } }
@@ -450,20 +450,18 @@ CONSTANT: factor-lexing-rules {
     [ nip array? not ] assoc-filter ;
 
 
-/*
 ! What a lexer body looks like, produced by make-lexer
-: lex ( n/f string -- n'/f string literal )
-    "!`\\\"[{(\s\r\n" slice-til-either {
-        { char: ! [ read-exclamation ] }
-        { char: ` [ read-backtick ] }
-        { char: \ [ read-backslash ] }
-        { char: \" [ read-string ] }
-        { char: \[ [ read-bracket ] }
-        { char: \{ [ read-brace ] }
-        { char: \( [ read-paren ] }
-        { char: \s [ read-token-or-whitespace ] }
-        { char: \r [ read-token-or-whitespace ] }
-        { char: \n [ read-token-or-whitespace ] }
-        { f [ f like dup [ make-tag-literal ] when ] }
-    } case ; inline
-*/
+! : lex ( n/f string -- n'/f string literal )
+    ! "!`\\\"[{(\s\r\n" slice-til-either {
+        ! { char: ! [ read-exclamation ] }
+        ! { char: ` [ read-backtick ] }
+        ! { char: \ [ read-backslash ] }
+        ! { char: \" [ read-string ] }
+        ! { char: \[ [ read-bracket ] }
+        ! { char: \{ [ read-brace ] }
+        ! { char: \( [ read-paren ] }
+        ! { char: \s [ read-token-or-whitespace ] }
+        ! { char: \r [ read-token-or-whitespace ] }
+        ! { char: \n [ read-token-or-whitespace ] }
+        ! { f [ f like dup [ make-tag-literal ] when ] }
+    ! } case ; inline
diff --git a/core/strings/parser/parser.factor b/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
index f1c4c7c627..804f5ee5ee 100644
--- a/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
+++ b/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
@@ -21,10 +21,12 @@ ERROR: bad-escape char ;
         { char: \s char: \s }
         { char: 0  char: \0 }
         { char: \\ char: \\ }
+        { char: \: char: \: }
         { char: \" char: \" }
         { char: \{ char: \{ }
         { char: \[ char: \[ }
         { char: \( char: \( }
+        { char: \! char: \! }
     } ?at [ bad-escape ] unless ;
 
 symbol: name>char-hook
diff --git a/language/alien/fortran/fortran.factor b/language/alien/fortran/fortran.factor
index 43a9dca6e3..a2873a20c3 100755
--- a/language/alien/fortran/fortran.factor
+++ b/language/alien/fortran/fortran.factor
@@ -442,13 +442,18 @@ MACRO: fortran-invoke ( return library function parameters -- quot )
 
 SYNTAX: SUBROUTINE:
     f current-library get scan-token ")" parse-tokens
-    [ "()" subseq? ] reject define-fortran-function ;
+    [ "()" subseq? ] reject ";" expect define-fortran-function ;
 
 SYNTAX: FUNCTION:
     scan-token current-library get scan-token ")" parse-tokens
-    [ "()" subseq? ] reject define-fortran-function ;
+    [ "()" subseq? ] reject ";" expect define-fortran-function ;
 
 SYNTAX: LIBRARY:
     scan-token
     [ current-library set ]
     [ set-fortran-abi ] bi ;
+
+SYNTAX: library:
+    scan-token
+    [ current-library set ]
+    [ set-fortran-abi ] bi ;
diff --git a/libs/math/blas/ffi/ffi.factor b/libs/math/blas/ffi/ffi.factor
index ec7be1e7b1..788c53e172 100644
--- a/libs/math/blas/ffi/ffi.factor
+++ b/libs/math/blas/ffi/ffi.factor
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ add-fortran-library
 deploy-blas? get [ "blas" deploy-library ] when
 >>
 
-LIBRARY: blas
+library: blas
 
 ! Level 1 BLAS (scalar-vector and vector-vector)