diff --git a/core/modern/modern-tests.factor b/core/modern/modern-tests.factor
index 91dac4cddc..cbf86f5611 100644
--- a/core/modern/modern-tests.factor
+++ b/core/modern/modern-tests.factor
@@ -97,3 +97,7 @@ in: modern.tests
 
 { 1 } [ ":foo" string>literals length ] unit-test
 { 1 } [ "( :integer )" string>literals length ] unit-test
+
+
+{ 1 } [ "postpone\\ main:" string>literals length ] unit-test
+{ 1 } [ "char: \\!" string>literals length ] unit-test
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/modern/modern.factor b/core/modern/modern.factor
index 25aaf266d8..336e08da12 100644
--- a/core/modern/modern.factor
+++ b/core/modern/modern.factor
@@ -326,18 +326,11 @@ ERROR: colon-word-must-be-all-uppercase-or-lowercase n string word ;
     dup { [ "!" sequence= ] [ "#!" sequence= ] } 1||
     [ take-comment ] [ merge-slice-til-whitespace make-tag-literal ] if ;
 
-! XXX: Allow foo\ or just \?
 ERROR: backslash-expects-whitespace slice ;
 : read-backslash ( n string slice -- n' string obj )
     2over peek-from blank? [
         ! \ foo, M\ foo
-        dup length 1 > [
-            ! M\ foo\
-            merge-slice-til-whitespace make-tag-literal
-        ] [
-            ! \
-            [ skip-blank-from slice-til-whitespace drop dup ] dip 1 cut-slice* backslash-literal make-delimited-literal
-        ] if
+        [ skip-blank-from slice-til-whitespace drop dup ] dip 1 cut-slice* backslash-literal make-delimited-literal
     ] [
         ! M\N
         merge-slice-til-whitespace make-tag-literal
diff --git a/demos/project-euler/011/011.factor b/demos/project-euler/011/011.factor
index c0ca3f74ff..3238d6e51d 100644
--- a/demos/project-euler/011/011.factor
+++ b/demos/project-euler/011/011.factor
@@ -80,10 +80,10 @@ in: project-euler.011
         length iota [ 0 <repetition> ] map
     ] keep [ <reversed> append ] 2map ;
 
-: diagonal/ ( -- matrix )
+: diagonal-one ( -- matrix )
     horizontal reverse pad-front pad-back flip ;
 
-: diagonal\ ( -- matrix )
+: diagonal-two ( -- matrix )
     horizontal pad-front pad-back flip ;
 
 : max-product ( matrix width -- n )
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ PRIVATE>
 
 : euler011 ( -- answer )
     [
-        { [ horizontal ] [ vertical ] [ diagonal/ ] [ diagonal\ ] }
+        { [ horizontal ] [ vertical ] [ diagonal-one ] [ diagonal-two ] }
         [ call( -- matrix ) 4 max-product , ] each
     ] { } make supremum ;