Backslash cleanup in Elisp source files

This patch should not change behavior.  It typically omits backslashes
where they are redundant (e.g., in the string literal "^\$").
In a few places, insert backslashes where they make regular
expressions clearer: e.g., replace "^\*" (equivalent to "^*") with
"^\\*", which has the same effect as a regular expression.
Also, use ‘\ %’ instead of ‘\%’ when avoiding confusion with SCCS IDs,
and similarly use ‘\ $’ instead of ‘\$’ when avoiding confusion with
RCS IDs, as that makes it clearer that the backslash is intended.

237 files changed, 916 insertions, 914 deletions

diff --git a/lisp/allout.el b/lisp/allout.el
index f7055734961..bbd69cd8347 100644
--- a/lisp/allout.el
+++ b/lisp/allout.el
@@ -917,7 +917,7 @@ has been customized to enable this behavior), `allout-mode' will be
 automatically activated.  The layout dictated by the value will be used to
 set the initial exposure when `allout-mode' is activated.
 
-\*You should not setq-default this variable non-nil unless you want every
+*You should not setq-default this variable non-nil unless you want every
 visited file to be treated as an allout file.*
 
 The value would typically be set by a file local variable.  For
@@ -1512,7 +1512,7 @@ already associated with a file.
 
 It consists of an encrypted random string useful only to verify that a
 passphrase entered by the user is effective for decryption.  The passphrase
-itself is \*not* recorded in the file anywhere, and the encrypted contents
+itself is *not* recorded in the file anywhere, and the encrypted contents
 are random binary characters to avoid exposing greater susceptibility to
 search attacks.
 
@@ -3721,7 +3721,7 @@ Nuances:
   (save-match-data
     (let* ((inhibit-field-text-motion t)
            (depth (+ (allout-current-depth) relative-depth))
-           (opening-on-blank (if (looking-at "^\$")
+           (opening-on-blank (if (looking-at "^$")
                                  (not (setq before nil))))
            ;; bunch o vars set while computing ref-topic
            opening-numbered
@@ -5909,7 +5909,7 @@ file with topics pending encryption is saved, topics pending
 encryption are encrypted.  See `allout-encrypt-unencrypted-on-saves'
 for auto-encryption specifics.
 
-\*NOTE WELL* that automatic encryption that happens during saves will
+*NOTE WELL* that automatic encryption that happens during saves will
 default to symmetric encryption -- you must deliberately (re)encrypt key-pair
 encrypted topics if you want them to continue to use the key-pair cipher.
 
diff --git a/lisp/bindings.el b/lisp/bindings.el
index 3672812e5a1..8560871694d 100644
--- a/lisp/bindings.el
+++ b/lisp/bindings.el
@@ -1265,9 +1265,9 @@ if `inhibit-field-text-motion' is non-nil."
 (define-key abbrev-map "e" 'expand-abbrev)
 (define-key abbrev-map "'" 'expand-abbrev)
 ;; (define-key ctl-x-map "\C-a" 'add-mode-abbrev)
-;; (define-key ctl-x-map "\+" 'add-global-abbrev)
+;; (define-key ctl-x-map "+" 'add-global-abbrev)
 ;; (define-key ctl-x-map "\C-h" 'inverse-add-mode-abbrev)
-;; (define-key ctl-x-map "\-" 'inverse-add-global-abbrev)
+;; (define-key ctl-x-map "-" 'inverse-add-global-abbrev)
 (define-key esc-map "'" 'abbrev-prefix-mark)
 (define-key ctl-x-map "'" 'expand-abbrev)
 (define-key ctl-x-map "\C-b" 'list-buffers)
diff --git a/lisp/bookmark.el b/lisp/bookmark.el
index 035148120a4..e9310259e7e 100644
--- a/lisp/bookmark.el
+++ b/lisp/bookmark.el
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ This is as opposed to inline text at the top of the buffer."
 
 (defconst bookmark-bmenu-inline-header-height 2
   "Number of lines used for the *Bookmark List* header
-\(only significant when `bookmark-bmenu-use-header-line' is nil\).")
+\(only significant when `bookmark-bmenu-use-header-line' is nil).")
 
 (defconst bookmark-bmenu-marks-width 2
   "Number of columns (chars) used for the *Bookmark List* marks column,
diff --git a/lisp/calc/calc-help.el b/lisp/calc/calc-help.el
index 444bb5ef920..33cb1c1566c 100644
--- a/lisp/calc/calc-help.el
+++ b/lisp/calc/calc-help.el
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ C-w  Describe how there is no warranty for Calc."
   (interactive)
   (calc-quit)
   (view-emacs-news)
-  (re-search-forward "^\*+ .*\\<Calc\\>" nil t))
+  (re-search-forward "^\\*+ .*\\<Calc\\>" nil t))
 
 (defvar calc-help-long-names '((?b . "binary/business")
                                (?g . "graphics")
diff --git a/lisp/calendar/todo-mode.el b/lisp/calendar/todo-mode.el
index 2949e3b79b0..527548f78b6 100644
--- a/lisp/calendar/todo-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/calendar/todo-mode.el
@@ -4892,7 +4892,7 @@ With nil or omitted CATEGORY, default to the current category."
         (widen)
         (goto-char (point-min))
         (setq todo-categories
-              (if (looking-at "\(\(\"")
+              (if (looking-at "((\"")
                   (read (buffer-substring-no-properties
                          (line-beginning-position)
                          (line-end-position)))
diff --git a/lisp/cedet/ede/proj-obj.el b/lisp/cedet/ede/proj-obj.el
index de06910f75e..34e302d3d2c 100644
--- a/lisp/cedet/ede/proj-obj.el
+++ b/lisp/cedet/ede/proj-obj.el
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ file.")
 (defvar ede-source-c++
   (ede-sourcecode "ede-source-c++"
                   :name "C++"
-                  :sourcepattern "\\.\\(c\\(pp?\\|c\\|xx\\|++\\)\\|C\\\(PP\\)?\\)$"
+                  :sourcepattern "\\.\\(c\\(pp?\\|c\\|xx\\|++\\)\\|C\\(PP\\)?\\)$"
                   :auxsourcepattern "\\.\\(hpp?\\|hh?\\|hxx\\|H\\)$"
                   :garbagepattern '("*.o" "*.obj" ".deps/*.P" ".lo"))
   "C++ source code definition.")
diff --git a/lisp/cedet/mode-local.el b/lisp/cedet/mode-local.el
index edf7647712f..8736a4ff93c 100644
--- a/lisp/cedet/mode-local.el
+++ b/lisp/cedet/mode-local.el
@@ -604,7 +604,7 @@ PROMPT, INITIAL, HIST, and DEFAULT are the same as for `completing-read'."
 ;;
 (defun overload-docstring-extension (overload)
   "Return the doc string that augments the description of OVERLOAD."
-  (let ((doc "\n\This function can be overloaded\
+  (let ((doc "\nThis function can be overloaded\
  with `define-mode-local-override'.")
         (sym (overload-obsoleted-by overload)))
     (when sym
diff --git a/lisp/cedet/semantic/tag.el b/lisp/cedet/semantic/tag.el
index 6c6616d7009..34fc8ba92ce 100644
--- a/lisp/cedet/semantic/tag.el
+++ b/lisp/cedet/semantic/tag.el
@@ -1212,7 +1212,7 @@ Returns a list of cooked tags.
   The parser returns raw tags with positional data START END at the
 end of the tag data structure (a list for now).  We convert it from
 that to a cooked state that uses an overlay proxy, that is, a vector
-\[START END].
+[START END].
 
   The raw tag is changed with side effects and maybe expanded in
 several derived tags when the variable `semantic-tag-expand-function'
diff --git a/lisp/cedet/semantic/wisent/comp.el b/lisp/cedet/semantic/wisent/comp.el
index 6730e8e5bc7..585c11a05d3 100644
--- a/lisp/cedet/semantic/wisent/comp.el
+++ b/lisp/cedet/semantic/wisent/comp.el
@@ -915,7 +915,7 @@ An NVARS by NRULES matrix of bits indicating which rules can help
 derive the beginning of the data for each nonterminal.  For example,
 if symbol 5 can be derived as the sequence of symbols 8 3 20, and one
 of the rules for deriving symbol 8 is rule 4, then the
-\[5 - NTOKENS, 4] bit in FDERIVES is set."
+[5 - NTOKENS, 4] bit in FDERIVES is set."
   (let (i j k)
     (setq fderives (make-vector nvars nil))
     (setq i 0)
diff --git a/lisp/cedet/semantic/wisent/wisent.el b/lisp/cedet/semantic/wisent/wisent.el
index fb77cb36947..4c5274198dd 100644
--- a/lisp/cedet/semantic/wisent/wisent.el
+++ b/lisp/cedet/semantic/wisent/wisent.el
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ automaton has only one entry point."
 
 - START specify the start symbol (nonterminal) used by the parser as
   its goal.  It defaults to the start symbol defined in the grammar
-  \(see also `wisent-compile-grammar')."
+  (see also `wisent-compile-grammar')."
   (run-hooks 'wisent-pre-parse-hook)
   (let* ((actions (aref automaton 0))
          (gotos   (aref automaton 1))
diff --git a/lisp/cmuscheme.el b/lisp/cmuscheme.el
index 7c5819d2126..724fc2bb7b0 100644
--- a/lisp/cmuscheme.el
+++ b/lisp/cmuscheme.el
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ in the next one.")
                                        (file-name-nondirectory file-name)))
   (comint-send-string (scheme-proc) (concat "(load \""
                                             file-name
-                                            "\"\)\n")))
+                                            "\")\n")))
 
 (defun scheme-compile-file (file-name)
   "Compile a Scheme file FILE-NAME in the inferior Scheme process."
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ in the next one.")
                                        (file-name-nondirectory file-name)))
   (comint-send-string (scheme-proc) (concat "(compile-file \""
                                             file-name
-                                            "\"\)\n")))
+                                            "\")\n")))
 
 
 (defvar scheme-buffer nil "The current scheme process buffer.
diff --git a/lisp/comint.el b/lisp/comint.el
index ead2757e6e8..e70fe88baf7 100644
--- a/lisp/comint.el
+++ b/lisp/comint.el
@@ -1581,7 +1581,7 @@ Go to the history element by the absolute history position HIST-POS."
 (defun comint-within-quotes (beg end)
   "Return t if the number of quotes between BEG and END is odd.
 Quotes are single and double."
-  (let ((countsq (comint-how-many-region "\\(^\\|[^\\\\]\\)\'" beg end))
+  (let ((countsq (comint-how-many-region "\\(^\\|[^\\\\]\\)'" beg end))
         (countdq (comint-how-many-region "\\(^\\|[^\\\\]\\)\"" beg end)))
     (or (= (mod countsq 2) 1) (= (mod countdq 2) 1))))
 
diff --git a/lisp/dabbrev.el b/lisp/dabbrev.el
index 42d7fd369ed..b32d115d499 100644
--- a/lisp/dabbrev.el
+++ b/lisp/dabbrev.el
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@
 
 Example: Set this to \"\\\\$\" for programming languages
 in which variable names may appear with or without a leading `$'.
-\(For example, in Makefiles.\)
+\(For example, in Makefiles.)
 
 Set this to nil if no characters should be skipped."
   :type '(choice regexp
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/advice.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/advice.el
index 35cbcc27ba1..4ee830023fc 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/advice.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/advice.el
@@ -3107,7 +3107,7 @@ deactivation, which might run hooks and get into other trouble."
   "Define a piece of advice for FUNCTION (a symbol).
 The syntax of `defadvice' is as follows:
 
-  \(defadvice FUNCTION (CLASS NAME [POSITION] [ARGLIST] FLAG...)
+  (defadvice FUNCTION (CLASS NAME [POSITION] [ARGLIST] FLAG...)
     [DOCSTRING] [INTERACTIVE-FORM]
     BODY...)
 
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/avl-tree.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/avl-tree.el
index e3d83eb127f..99a329b021e 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/avl-tree.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/avl-tree.el
@@ -615,7 +615,7 @@ is more efficient."
 of all elements of TREE.
 
 If REVERSE is non-nil, the stack is sorted in reverse order.
-\(See also `avl-tree-stack-pop'\).
+\(See also `avl-tree-stack-pop').
 
 Note that any modification to TREE *immediately* invalidates all
 avl-tree-stacks created before the modification (in particular,
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/bytecomp.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/bytecomp.el
index 8b47bbfb03d..8699af60ea8 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/bytecomp.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/bytecomp.el
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ invoked interactively are excluded from this list."
   "Alist of functions and their call tree.
 Each element looks like
 
-  \(FUNCTION CALLERS CALLS\)
+  (FUNCTION CALLERS CALLS)
 
 where CALLERS is a list of functions that call FUNCTION, and CALLS
 is a list of functions for which calls were generated while compiling
@@ -4529,11 +4529,11 @@ whose definitions have been compiled in this Emacs session, as well as
 all functions called by those functions.
 
 The call graph does not include macros, inline functions, or
-primitives that the byte-code interpreter knows about directly \(eq,
-cons, etc.\).
+primitives that the byte-code interpreter knows about directly
+\(`eq', `cons', etc.).
 
 The call tree also lists those functions which are not known to be called
-\(that is, to which no calls have been compiled\), and which cannot be
+\(that is, to which no calls have been compiled), and which cannot be
 invoked interactively."
   (interactive)
   (message "Generating call tree...")
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/check-declare.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/check-declare.el
index 3b69e959282..536e4186c41 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/check-declare.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/check-declare.el
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ def\\(?:un\\|subst\\|foo\\|method\\|class\\|\
 ine-\\(?:derived\\|generic\\|\\(?:global\\(?:ized\\)?-\\)?minor\\)-mode\\|\
 \\(?:ine-obsolete-function-\\)?alias[ \t]+'\\|\
 ine-overloadable-function\\)\\)\
-\[ \t]*%s\\([ \t;]+\\|$\\)")
+[ \t]*%s\\([ \t;]+\\|$\\)")
                            (regexp-opt (mapcar 'cadr fnlist) t)))
           (while (re-search-forward re nil t)
             (skip-chars-forward " \t\n")
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/easy-mmode.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/easy-mmode.el
index eab22b67cd7..56f95111ab8 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/easy-mmode.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/easy-mmode.el
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ BODY contains code to execute each time the mode is enabled or disabled.
 :variable PLACE The location to use instead of the variable MODE to store
                 the state of the mode.  This can be simply a different
                 named variable, or a generalized variable.
-                PLACE can also be of the form \(GET . SET), where GET is
+                PLACE can also be of the form (GET . SET), where GET is
                 an expression that returns the current state, and SET is
                 a function that takes one argument, the new state, and
                 sets it.  If you specify a :variable, this function does
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/edebug.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/edebug.el
index 0162a9a230a..e437c587df4 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/edebug.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/edebug.el
@@ -3162,12 +3162,12 @@ Do this when stopped before the form or it will be too late.
 One side effect of using this command is that the next time the
 function or macro is called, Edebug will be called there as well."
   (interactive)
-  (if (not (looking-at "\("))
+  (if (not (looking-at "("))
       (error "You must be before a list form")
     (let ((func
            (save-excursion
              (down-list 1)
-             (if (looking-at "\(")
+             (if (looking-at "(")
                  (edebug--form-data-name
                   (edebug-get-form-data-entry (point)))
                (read (current-buffer))))))
@@ -3790,10 +3790,10 @@ Otherwise call `debug' normally."
       (if t (progn
 
       ;; Delete interspersed edebug internals.
-      (while (re-search-forward "^  \(?edebug" nil t)
+      (while (re-search-forward "^  (?edebug" nil t)
         (beginning-of-line)
         (cond
-         ((looking-at "^  \(edebug-after")
+         ((looking-at "^  (edebug-after")
           ;; Previous lines may contain code, so just delete this line.
           (setq last-ok-point (point))
           (forward-line 1)
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/ert-x.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/ert-x.el
index cae3fa2d460..f899f40fb80 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/ert-x.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/ert-x.el
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ the name of the test and the result of NAME-FORM."
 
 This effectively executes
 
-  \(apply (car COMMAND) (cdr COMMAND)\)
+  (apply (car COMMAND) (cdr COMMAND))
 
 and returns the same value, but additionally runs hooks like
 `pre-command-hook' and `post-command-hook', and sets variables
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ test for `called-interactively' in the command will fail."
   "Return a copy of S with all matches of REGEXPS removed.
 
 Elements of REGEXPS may also be two-element lists \(REGEXP
-SUBEXP\), where SUBEXP is the number of a subexpression in
+SUBEXP), where SUBEXP is the number of a subexpression in
 REGEXP.  In that case, only that subexpression will be removed
 rather than the entire match."
   ;; Use a temporary buffer since replace-match copies strings, which
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ property list, or no properties if there is no plist before it.
 As a simple example,
 
 \(ert-propertized-string \"foo \" \\='(face italic) \"bar\" \" baz\" nil \
-\" quux\"\)
+\" quux\")
 
 would return the string \"foo bar baz quux\" where the substring
 \"bar baz\" has a `face' property with the value `italic'.
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/ert.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/ert.el
index d47e5d94b9d..2eba0216faf 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/ert.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/ert.el
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ using :expected-result.  See `ert-test-result-type-p' for a
 description of valid values for RESULT-TYPE.
 
 \(fn NAME () [DOCSTRING] [:expected-result RESULT-TYPE] \
-\[:tags '(TAG...)] BODY...)"
+[:tags '(TAG...)] BODY...)"
   (declare (debug (&define :name test
                            name sexp [&optional stringp]
                            [&rest keywordp sexp] def-body))
@@ -887,10 +887,10 @@ Valid result types:
 nil -- Never matches.
 t -- Always matches.
 :failed, :passed, :skipped -- Matches corresponding results.
-\(and TYPES...\) -- Matches if all TYPES match.
-\(or TYPES...\) -- Matches if some TYPES match.
-\(not TYPE\) -- Matches if TYPE does not match.
-\(satisfies PREDICATE\) -- Matches if PREDICATE returns true when called with
+\(and TYPES...) -- Matches if all TYPES match.
+\(or TYPES...) -- Matches if some TYPES match.
+\(not TYPE) -- Matches if TYPE does not match.
+\(satisfies PREDICATE) -- Matches if PREDICATE returns true when called with
                            RESULT."
   ;; It would be easy to add `member' and `eql' types etc., but I
   ;; haven't bothered yet.
@@ -946,7 +946,7 @@ a test   -- (i.e., an object of the ert-test data-type) Selects that test.
 a symbol -- Selects the test that the symbol names, errors if none.
 \(member TESTS...) -- Selects the elements of TESTS, a list of tests
     or symbols naming tests.
-\(eql TEST\) -- Selects TEST, a test or a symbol naming a test.
+\(eql TEST) -- Selects TEST, a test or a symbol naming a test.
 \(and SELECTORS...) -- Selects the tests that match all SELECTORS.
 \(or SELECTORS...)  -- Selects the tests that match any of the SELECTORS.
 \(not SELECTOR)     -- Selects all tests that do not match SELECTOR.
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/find-func.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/find-func.el
index 026a4a749a9..69d545560d4 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/find-func.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/find-func.el
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ ine\\(?:-global\\)?-minor-mode\\|ine-compilation-mode\\|un-cvs-mode\\|\
 foo\\|\\(?:[^icfgv]\\|g[^r]\\)\\(\\w\\|\\s_\\)+\\*?\\)\\|easy-mmode-define-[a-z-]+\\|easy-menu-define\\|\
 menu-bar-make-toggle\\)"
    find-function-space-re
-   "\\('\\|\(quote \\)?%s\\(\\s-\\|$\\|\(\\|\)\\)")
+   "\\('\\|(quote \\)?%s\\(\\s-\\|$\\|[()]\\)")
   "The regexp used by `find-function' to search for a function definition.
 Note it must contain a `%s' at the place where `format'
 should insert the function name.  The default value avoids `defconst',
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/gv.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/gv.el
index bbe6b36ab9a..94fe6c3d441 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/gv.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/gv.el
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ turned into calls of the form (SETTER ARGS... VAL).
 
 If FIX-RETURN is non-nil, then SETTER is not assumed to return VAL and
 instead the assignment is turned into something equivalent to
-  \(let ((temp VAL))
+  (let ((temp VAL))
     (SETTER ARGS... temp)
     temp)
 so as to preserve the semantics of `setf'."
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/lisp-mode.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/lisp-mode.el
index fed91b34a88..4576f5cd6ba 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/lisp-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/lisp-mode.el
@@ -889,7 +889,7 @@ property `lisp-indent-function' (or the deprecated `lisp-indent-hook'),
 it specifies how to indent.  The property value can be:
 
 * `defun', meaning indent `defun'-style
-  \(this is also the case if there is no property and the function
+  (this is also the case if there is no property and the function
   has a name that begins with \"def\", and three or more arguments);
 
 * an integer N, meaning indent the first N arguments specially
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/map-ynp.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/map-ynp.el
index 43fd4ef57a6..b8fb540d6cb 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/map-ynp.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/map-ynp.el
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Takes args PROMPTER ACTOR LIST, and optional args HELP and ACTION-ALIST.
 LIST is a list of objects, or a function of no arguments to return the next
 object or nil.
 
-If PROMPTER is a string, the prompt is \(format PROMPTER OBJECT\).  If not
+If PROMPTER is a string, the prompt is \(format PROMPTER OBJECT).  If not
 a string, PROMPTER is a function of one arg (an object from LIST), which
 returns a string to be used as the prompt for that object.  If the return
 value is not a string, it may be nil to ignore the object or non-nil to act
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ which gets called with each object that the user answers `yes' for.
 If HELP is given, it is a list (OBJECT OBJECTS ACTION),
 where OBJECT is a string giving the singular noun for an elt of LIST;
 OBJECTS is the plural noun for elts of LIST, and ACTION is a transitive
-verb describing ACTOR.  The default is \(\"object\" \"objects\" \"act on\"\).
+verb describing ACTOR.  The default is \(\"object\" \"objects\" \"act on\").
 
 At the prompts, the user may enter y, Y, or SPC to act on that object;
 n, N, or DEL to skip that object; ! to act on all following objects;
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/regexp-opt.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/regexp-opt.el
index 9888e920219..e315733e222 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/regexp-opt.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/regexp-opt.el
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ If LAX non-nil, don't output parentheses if it doesn't require them.
 Merges keywords to avoid backtracking in Emacs's regexp matcher."
   ;; The basic idea is to find the shortest common prefix or suffix, remove it
   ;; and recurse.  If there is no prefix, we divide the list into two so that
-  ;; \(at least) one half will have at least a one-character common prefix.
+  ;; (at least) one half will have at least a one-character common prefix.
 
   ;; Also we delay the addition of grouping parenthesis as long as possible
   ;; until we're sure we need them, and try to remove one-character sequences
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx.el
index a21ac7a2835..a5ff9722698 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/rx.el
@@ -768,8 +768,8 @@ of all atomic regexps."
      ((= l 3) (string-match "\\`\\(?:\\\\[cCsS_]\\|\\[[^^]\\]\\)" r))
      ((null lax)
       (cond
-       ((string-match "\\`\\[^?\]?\\(?:\\[:[a-z]+:]\\|[^\]]\\)*\\]\\'" r))
-       ((string-match "\\`\\\\(\\(?:[^\\]\\|\\\\[^\)]\\)*\\\\)\\'" r)))))))
+       ((string-match "\\`\\[^?\]?\\(?:\\[:[a-z]+:]\\|[^]]\\)*\\]\\'" r))
+       ((string-match "\\`\\\\(\\(?:[^\\]\\|\\\\[^)]\\)*\\\\)\\'" r)))))))
 
 
 (defun rx-syntax (form)
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/shadow.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/shadow.el
index c7a95e4e5f3..17e3be7d3ff 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/shadow.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/shadow.el
@@ -68,9 +68,9 @@ This is slower, but filters out some innocuous shadowing."
   "Return a list of Emacs Lisp files that create shadows.
 This function does the work for `list-load-path-shadows'.
 
-We traverse PATH looking for shadows, and return a \(possibly empty\)
+We traverse PATH looking for shadows, and return a \(possibly empty)
 even-length list of files.  A file in this list at position 2i shadows
-the file in position 2i+1.  Emacs Lisp file suffixes \(.el and .elc\)
+the file in position 2i+1.  Emacs Lisp file suffixes \(.el and .elc)
 are stripped from the file names in the list.
 
 See the documentation for `list-load-path-shadows' for further information."
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/smie.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/smie.el
index 0c24f796d19..eb5a7132c7e 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/smie.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/smie.el
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ one of those elements share the same precedence level and associativity."
 (defun smie-bnf->prec2 (bnf &rest resolvers)
   "Convert the BNF grammar into a prec2 table.
 BNF is a list of nonterminal definitions of the form:
-  \(NONTERM RHS1 RHS2 ...)
+  (NONTERM RHS1 RHS2 ...)
 where each RHS is a (non-empty) list of terminals (aka tokens) or non-terminals.
 Not all grammars are accepted:
 - an RHS cannot be an empty list (this is not needed, since SMIE allows all
diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/timer.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/timer.el
index dca459f2bf6..bf8e9ff273a 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/timer.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/timer.el
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ timers).  If nil, allocate a new cell."
   "Insert TIMER into `timer-idle-list'.
 This arranges to activate TIMER whenever Emacs is next idle.
 If optional argument DONT-WAIT is non-nil, set TIMER to activate
-immediately \(see below\), or at the right time, if Emacs is
+immediately \(see below), or at the right time, if Emacs is
 already idle.
 
 REUSE-CELL, if non-nil, is a cons cell to reuse when inserting
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/edt-mapper.el b/lisp/emulation/edt-mapper.el
index 9e3667e7a8f..c002ecfd2ff 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/edt-mapper.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/edt-mapper.el
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@
 ;;;  Determine Window System, and X Server Vendor (if appropriate).
 ;;;
 (defconst edt-window-system (if (featurep 'xemacs) (console-type) window-system)
-  "Indicates window system \(in GNU Emacs\) or console type \(in XEmacs\).")
+  "Indicates window system (in GNU Emacs) or console type (in XEmacs).")
 
 (declare-function x-server-vendor "xfns.c" (&optional terminal))
 
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/edt.el b/lisp/emulation/edt.el
index 9bd1627ffeb..0c089698752 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/edt.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/edt.el
@@ -213,23 +213,23 @@ use within the EDT emulation."
 
 (defcustom edt-word-entities '(?\t)
   "Specifies the list of EDT word entity characters.
-The default list, (\?\\t), contains just the TAB character, which
+The default list, (?\\t), contains just the TAB character, which
 emulates EDT.  Characters are specified in the list using their
 decimal ASCII values.  A question mark, followed by the actual
 character, can be used to indicate the numerical value of the
 character, instead of the actual decimal value.  So, ?A means the
-numerical value for the letter A, \?/ means the numerical value for /,
+numerical value for the letter A, ?/ means the numerical value for /,
 etc.  Several unprintable and special characters have special
 representations, which you can also use:
 
-            \?\\b  specifies  BS, C-h
-            \?\\t  specifies  TAB, C-i
-            \?\\n  specifies  LFD, C-j
-            \?\\v  specifies  VTAB, C-k
-            \?\\f  specifies  FF, C-l
-            \?\\r  specifies  CR, C-m
-            \?\\e  specifies  ESC, C-[
-            \?\\\\  specifies  \\
+            ?\\b  specifies  BS, C-h
+            ?\\t  specifies  TAB, C-i
+            ?\\n  specifies  LFD, C-j
+            ?\\v  specifies  VTAB, C-k
+            ?\\f  specifies  FF, C-l
+            ?\\r  specifies  CR, C-m
+            ?\\e  specifies  ESC, C-[
+            ?\\\\  specifies  \\
 
 In EDT Emulation movement-by-word commands, each character in the list
 will be treated as if it were a separate word."
@@ -311,10 +311,10 @@ This means that an edt-user.el file was found in the user's `load-path'.")
 ;;;     o edt-emulation-on      o edt-load-keys
 ;;;
 (defconst edt-emacs-variant (if (featurep 'emacs) "gnu" "xemacs")
-  "Indicates Emacs variant:  GNU Emacs or XEmacs \(aka Lucid Emacs\).")
+  "Indicates Emacs variant:  GNU Emacs or XEmacs (aka Lucid Emacs).")
 
 (defconst edt-window-system (if (featurep 'emacs) window-system (console-type))
-  "Indicates window system \(in GNU Emacs\) or console type \(in XEmacs\).")
+  "Indicates window system (in GNU Emacs) or console type (in XEmacs).")
 
 (declare-function x-server-vendor "xfns.c" (&optional terminal))
 
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/viper-cmd.el b/lisp/emulation/viper-cmd.el
index 93fcec865a7..960ccedd4dd 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/viper-cmd.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/viper-cmd.el
@@ -1536,7 +1536,7 @@ as a Meta key and any number of multiple escapes are allowed."
 (defun viper-repeat (arg)
   "Re-execute last destructive command.
 Use the info in viper-d-com, which has the form
-\(com val ch reg inserted-text command-keys\),
+\(com val ch reg inserted-text command-keys),
 where `com' is the command to be re-executed, `val' is the
 argument to `com', `ch' is a flag for repeat, and `reg' is optional;
 if it exists, it is the name of the register for `com'.
@@ -3424,7 +3424,7 @@ controlled by the sign of prefix numeric value."
               ((re-search-backward "[][(){}]" beg-lim t))
               (t
                (error "No matching character on line"))))
-      (cond ((looking-at "[\(\[{]")
+      (cond ((looking-at "[([{]")
              (if com (viper-move-marker-locally 'viper-com-point (point)))
              (forward-sexp 1)
              (if com
@@ -3733,7 +3733,7 @@ With a prefix argument, this function unsets the macros.
 If the optional prefix argument is non-nil and specifies a valid major mode,
 this sets the macros only in the macros in that major mode.  Otherwise,
 the macros are set in the current major mode.
-\(When unsetting the macros, the second argument has no effect.\)"
+\(When unsetting the macros, the second argument has no effect.)"
   (interactive "P")
   (or noninteractive
       (if (not unset)
@@ -3980,7 +3980,7 @@ Null string will repeat previous search."
   (let (buffer buffer-name)
     (setq buffer-name
           (funcall viper-read-buffer-function
-                   (format "Kill buffer \(%s\): "
+                   (format "Kill buffer (%s): "
                            (buffer-name (current-buffer)))))
     (setq buffer
           (if (null buffer-name)
@@ -4588,7 +4588,7 @@ One can use \\=`\\=` and \\='\\=' to temporarily jump 1 step back."
 ;; Viewing registers
 
 (defun viper-ket-function (arg)
-  "Function called by \], the ket.  View registers and call \]\]."
+  "Function called by ], the ket.  View registers and call ]]."
   (interactive "P")
   (let ((reg (read-char)))
     (cond ((viper-valid-register reg '(letter Letter))
@@ -4605,7 +4605,7 @@ One can use \\=`\\=` and \\='\\=' to temporarily jump 1 step back."
               viper-InvalidRegister reg)))))
 
 (defun viper-brac-function (arg)
-  "Function called by \[, the brac.  View textmarkers and call \[\[."
+  "Function called by [, the brac.  View textmarkers and call [[."
   (interactive "P")
   (let ((reg (read-char)))
     (cond ((viper= ?\[ reg)
@@ -4981,7 +4981,7 @@ back trace of the execution that leads to the error.  Please include this
 trace in your bug report.
 
 If you believe that one of Viper's commands goes into an infinite loop
-\(e.g., Emacs freezes\), type:
+\(e.g., Emacs freezes), type:
 
     M-x set-variable <Return> debug-on-quit <Return> t <Return>
 
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/viper-ex.el b/lisp/emulation/viper-ex.el
index fb2c1792a41..6e55ac5b5d6 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/viper-ex.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/viper-ex.el
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ reversed."
     ))
 
 ;; Get an ex-token which is either an address or a command.
-;; A token has a type, \(command, address, end-mark\), and a value
+;; A token has a type, (command, address, end-mark), and a value
 (defun viper-get-ex-token ()
   (save-window-excursion
     (setq viper-ex-work-buf (get-buffer-create viper-ex-work-buf-name))
@@ -1658,7 +1658,7 @@ reversed."
   (if (and (not (string= ex-file (buffer-file-name)))
            (buffer-modified-p)
            (not ex-variant))
-      (error "No write since last change \(:rec! overrides\)"))
+      (error "No write since last change (:rec! overrides)"))
   (recover-file ex-file))
 
 ;; Tell that `rewind' is obsolete and to use `:next count' instead
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/viper-init.el b/lisp/emulation/viper-init.el
index 092de55e70e..f422a1354a9 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/viper-init.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/viper-init.el
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ docstring.  The variable becomes buffer-local whenever set."
   (declare (indent defun))
   `(progn
     (defvar ,var ,default-value
-      ,(format "%s\n\(buffer local\)" documentation))
+      ,(format "%s\n(buffer local)" documentation))
     (make-variable-buffer-local ',var)))
 
 ;; (viper-loop COUNT BODY) Execute BODY COUNT times.
@@ -778,7 +778,7 @@ Related buffers can be cycled through via :R and :P commands."
           "^\\\\[sb][a-z]*{.*}\\s-*$\\|"                        ; latex
           "^@node\\|@table\\|^@m?enu\\|^@itemize\\|^@if\\|"     ; texinfo
           "^.+:-")                                              ; prolog
-  "Regexps for Headings.  Used by \[\[ and \]\].")
+  "Regexps for Headings.  Used by [[ and ]].")
 
 (defvar viper-heading-end
   (concat "^}\\|"                                               ; C/C++
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ Related buffers can be cycled through via :R and :P commands."
           "^@end \\|"                                           ; texinfo
           ")\n\n[ \t\n]*\\|"                                    ; lisp
           "\\.\\s-*$")                                          ; prolog
-      "*Regexps to end Headings/Sections.  Used by \[\].")
+      "*Regexps to end Headings/Sections.  Used by [].")
 
 
 ;; These two vars control the interaction of jumps performed by ' and `.
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/viper-macs.el b/lisp/emulation/viper-macs.el
index 4fa07792334..3aff0628b5f 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/viper-macs.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/viper-macs.el
@@ -327,8 +327,8 @@ Can be used in `viper-custom-file-name' to define permanent macros.
 MACRO-NAME is a string of characters or a vector of keys.  STATE is
 either `vi-state' or `insert-state'.  It specifies the Viper state in which to
 define the macro.  MACRO-BODY is a string that represents the keyboard macro.
-Optional SCOPE says whether the macro should be global \(t\), mode-specific
-\(a major-mode symbol\), or buffer-specific \(buffer name, a string\).
+Optional SCOPE says whether the macro should be global \(t), mode-specific
+\(a major-mode symbol), or buffer-specific \(buffer name, a string).
 If SCOPE is nil, the user is asked to specify the scope."
   (let* (state-name keymap
          (macro-alist-var
@@ -894,7 +894,7 @@ mistakes in macro names to be passed to this function is to use
   (set-register reg last-kbd-macro))
 
 (defun viper-register-macro (count)
-  "Keyboard macros in registers - a modified \@ command."
+  "Keyboard macros in registers - a modified @ command."
   (interactive "P")
   (let ((reg (downcase (read-char))))
     (cond ((or (and (<= ?a reg) (<= reg ?z)))
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/viper-mous.el b/lisp/emulation/viper-mous.el
index 4d5c86fd6aa..5c82bf1f55d 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/viper-mous.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/viper-mous.el
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ If CLICK-COUNT is 2,then `word' is a Word in Vi sense.
 If the character clicked on is a non-separator and is non-alphanumeric but
 is adjacent to an alphanumeric symbol, then it is considered alphanumeric
 for the purpose of this command.  If this character has a matching
-character, such as `\(' is a match for `\)', then the matching character is
+character, such as `(' is a match for `)', then the matching character is
 also considered alphanumeric.
 For convenience, in Lisp modes, `-' is considered alphanumeric.
 
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ On single or double click, returns the word as determined by
 With prefix argument, N, insert that many words.
 This command must be bound to a mouse click.
 The double-click action of the same mouse button must not be bound
-\(or it must be bound to the same function\).
+\(or it must be bound to the same function).
 See `viper-surrounding-word' for the definition of a word in this case."
   (interactive "e\nP")
   (if viper-frame-of-focus      ;; to handle clicks in another frame
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ See `viper-surrounding-word' for the definition of a word in this case."
    "Find the word clicked or double-clicked on.  Word may be in another window.
 With prefix argument, N, search for N-th occurrence.
 This command must be bound to a mouse click.  The double-click action of the
-same button must not be bound \(or it must be bound to the same function\).
+same button must not be bound \(or it must be bound to the same function).
 See `viper-surrounding-word' for the details on what constitutes a word for
 this command."
   (interactive "e\nP")
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/viper-util.el b/lisp/emulation/viper-util.el
index 9616fd4e86f..8c2ad581a75 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/viper-util.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/viper-util.el
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ Otherwise return the normal value."
 
 ;; Append LIS2 to LIS1, both alists, by side-effect and returns LIS1
 ;; LIS2 is modified by filtering it: deleting its members of the form
-;; \(car elt\) such that (car elt') is in LIS1.
+;; (car elt) such that (car elt') is in LIS1.
 (defun viper-append-filter-alist (lis1 lis2)
   (let ((temp lis1)
         elt)
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@ Otherwise return the normal value."
 
 (defsubst viper-is-in-minibuffer ()
   (save-match-data
-    (string-match "\*Minibuf-" (buffer-name))))
+    (string-match "\\*Minibuf-" (buffer-name))))
 
 
 
@@ -1330,7 +1330,7 @@ Works best when set in the hooks to various major modes.
 `strict-vi' means Viper words are (hopefully) exactly as in Vi.
 
 `reformed-vi' means Viper words are like Emacs words \(as determined using
-Emacs syntax tables, which are different for different major modes\) with two
+Emacs syntax tables, which are different for different major modes) with two
 exceptions: the symbol `_' is always part of a word and typical Vi non-word
 symbols, such as `,',:,\",),{, etc., are excluded.
 This behaves very close to `strict-vi', but also works well with non-ASCII
diff --git a/lisp/emulation/viper.el b/lisp/emulation/viper.el
index 0933c949df0..6398b476fad 100644
--- a/lisp/emulation/viper.el
+++ b/lisp/emulation/viper.el
@@ -819,7 +819,7 @@ It also can't undo some Viper settings."
 ;; fundamental
 (defun viper-major-mode-change-sentinel ()
   (save-match-data
-    (or (string-match "\*Minibuf-" (buffer-name))
+    (or (string-match "\\*Minibuf-" (buffer-name))
         (setq viper-new-major-mode-buffer-list
               (cons (current-buffer) viper-new-major-mode-buffer-list))))
   ;; change the global value of hook
diff --git a/lisp/epg.el b/lisp/epg.el
index ed71e966853..aa79c7d0fc2 100644
--- a/lisp/epg.el
+++ b/lisp/epg.el
@@ -2199,7 +2199,7 @@ The return value is an alist mapping from types to values."
       (if (eq index (string-match "[ \t\n\r]*" string index))
           (setq index (match-end 0)))
       (if (eq index (string-match
-                     "\\([0-9]+\\(\\.[0-9]+\\)*\\)\[ \t\n\r]*=[ \t\n\r]*"
+                     "\\([0-9]+\\(\\.[0-9]+\\)*\\)[ \t\n\r]*=[ \t\n\r]*"
                      string index))
           (setq type (match-string 1 string)
                 index (match-end 0))
diff --git a/lisp/erc/erc-backend.el b/lisp/erc/erc-backend.el
index 958c5ef8b62..ec45dcfcf24 100644
--- a/lisp/erc/erc-backend.el
+++ b/lisp/erc/erc-backend.el
@@ -1541,7 +1541,7 @@ A server may send more than one 005 message."
     (while (erc-response.command-args parsed)
       (let ((section (pop (erc-response.command-args parsed))))
         ;; fill erc-server-parameters
-        (when (string-match "^\\([A-Z]+\\)\=\\(.*\\)$\\|^\\([A-Z]+\\)$"
+        (when (string-match "^\\([A-Z]+\\)=\\(.*\\)$\\|^\\([A-Z]+\\)$"
                             section)
           (add-to-list 'erc-server-parameters
                        `(,(or (match-string 1 section)
diff --git a/lisp/erc/erc-match.el b/lisp/erc/erc-match.el
index 55f298bbf69..0622b18ca7f 100644
--- a/lisp/erc/erc-match.el
+++ b/lisp/erc/erc-match.el
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ Useful to mark nicks from dangerous hosts."
 
 (defcustom erc-current-nick-highlight-type 'keyword
   "Determines how to highlight text in which your current nickname appears
-\(does not apply to text sent by you\).
+\(does not apply to text sent by you).
 
 The following values are allowed:
 
diff --git a/lisp/erc/erc-services.el b/lisp/erc/erc-services.el
index 2d2fa6230c3..274b01ffbd1 100644
--- a/lisp/erc/erc-services.el
+++ b/lisp/erc/erc-services.el
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ Example of use:
      "IDENTIFY" nil nil nil))
    "Alist of NickServer details, sorted by network.
 Every element in the list has the form
-  \(SYMBOL NICKSERV REGEXP NICK KEYWORD USE-CURRENT ANSWER SUCCESS-REGEXP)
+  (SYMBOL NICKSERV REGEXP NICK KEYWORD USE-CURRENT ANSWER SUCCESS-REGEXP)
 
 SYMBOL is a network identifier, a symbol, as used in `erc-networks-alist'.
 NICKSERV is the description of the nickserv in the form nick!user@host.
diff --git a/lisp/erc/erc.el b/lisp/erc/erc.el
index b7e880c120a..8e26db1d9d3 100644
--- a/lisp/erc/erc.el
+++ b/lisp/erc/erc.el
@@ -2973,7 +2973,7 @@ VERSION and so on.  It is called with ARGS."
 If FUNC contains a valid function or variable, help about that
 will be displayed.  If FUNC is empty, display an apropos about
 ERC commands.  Otherwise, do `apropos' in the ERC namespace
-\(\"erc-.*LINE\"\).
+\(\"erc-.*LINE\").
 
 Examples:
 To find out about erc and bbdb, do
diff --git a/lisp/eshell/em-hist.el b/lisp/eshell/em-hist.el
index 499eda40dc3..90dec596701 100644
--- a/lisp/eshell/em-hist.el
+++ b/lisp/eshell/em-hist.el
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@ matched."
   ;; `!'
   ;;      Start a history substitution, except when followed by a
   ;;      space, tab, the end of the line, = or (.
-  (if (not (string-match "^![^ \t\n=\(]" reference))
+  (if (not (string-match "^![^ \t\n=(]" reference))
       reference
     (setq eshell-history-index nil)
     (let ((event (eshell-hist-parse-event-designator reference)))
diff --git a/lisp/eshell/em-ls.el b/lisp/eshell/em-ls.el
index 76751e51dfd..ae6e0d3e886 100644
--- a/lisp/eshell/em-ls.el
+++ b/lisp/eshell/em-ls.el
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ properties to colorize its output based on the setting of
 (defcustom eshell-ls-date-format "%Y-%m-%d"
   "How to display time information in `eshell-ls-file'.
 This is passed to `format-time-string' as a format string.
-To display the date using the current locale, use \"%b \%e\"."
+To display the date using the current locale, use \"%b \ %e\"."
   :version "24.1"
   :type 'string)
 
diff --git a/lisp/eshell/em-unix.el b/lisp/eshell/em-unix.el
index 8ae81df92e5..19597dfbc1f 100644
--- a/lisp/eshell/em-unix.el
+++ b/lisp/eshell/em-unix.el
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ Remove the DIRECTORY(ies), if they are empty.")
      :usage "[OPTION]... SOURCE DEST
    or: mv [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY
 Rename SOURCE to DEST, or move SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.
-\[OPTION] DIRECTORY...")
+[OPTION] DIRECTORY...")
    (let ((no-dereference t))
      (eshell-mvcpln-template "mv" "moving" 'rename-file
                              eshell-mv-interactive-query
diff --git a/lisp/eshell/esh-util.el b/lisp/eshell/esh-util.el
index 2565842706e..f645702ac2b 100644
--- a/lisp/eshell/esh-util.el
+++ b/lisp/eshell/esh-util.el
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ If N or M is nil, it means the end of the list."
 
 (defvar eshell-path-env (getenv "PATH")
   "Content of $PATH.
-It might be different from \(getenv \"PATH\"\), when
+It might be different from \(getenv \"PATH\"), when
 `default-directory' points to a remote host.")
 (make-variable-buffer-local 'eshell-path-env)
 
diff --git a/lisp/expand.el b/lisp/expand.el
index 4459c3ae960..97c8a259459 100644
--- a/lisp/expand.el
+++ b/lisp/expand.el
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@
     "for"                               ; foreach
     (concat
      "for (  )\n"
-     "{\n\n\}"
+     "{\n\n}"
      )
     (list 7 12))
 
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@
     "whi"                               ; foreach
     (concat
      "while (  )\n"
-     "{\n\n\}"
+     "{\n\n}"
      )
     (list 9 15))
 
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@
     "iff"
     (concat
      "if (  )\n"
-     "{\n\n\}"
+     "{\n\n}"
      )
     (list 6 12))
 
diff --git a/lisp/faces.el b/lisp/faces.el
index cc8c04d9689..4e7f1a42bff 100644
--- a/lisp/faces.el
+++ b/lisp/faces.el
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ completely specified)."
 (defun face-attribute-merged-with (attribute value faces &optional frame)
   "Merges ATTRIBUTE, initially VALUE, with faces from FACES until absolute.
 FACES may be either a single face or a list of faces.
-\[This is an internal function.]"
+[This is an internal function.]"
   (cond ((not (face-attribute-relative-p attribute value))
          value)
         ((null faces)
diff --git a/lisp/filenotify.el b/lisp/filenotify.el
index 1ec4e13a38b..b3490fd3ebb 100644
--- a/lisp/filenotify.el
+++ b/lisp/filenotify.el
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ A key in this hash table is the descriptor as returned from
 `gfilenotify', `inotify', `w32notify' or a file name handler.
 The value in the hash table is a list
 
-  \(DIR (FILE . CALLBACK) (FILE . CALLBACK) ...)
+  (DIR (FILE . CALLBACK) (FILE . CALLBACK) ...)
 
 Several values for a given DIR happen only for `inotify', when
 different files from the same directory are watched.")
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ different files from the same directory are watched.")
   "Handle file system monitoring event.
 If EVENT is a filewatch event, call its callback.  It has the format
 
-  \(file-notify (DESCRIPTOR ACTIONS FILE [FILE1-OR-COOKIE]) CALLBACK)
+  (file-notify (DESCRIPTOR ACTIONS FILE [FILE1-OR-COOKIE]) CALLBACK)
 
 Otherwise, signal a `file-notify-error'."
   (interactive "e")
diff --git a/lisp/files.el b/lisp/files.el
index c309f86f85b..8565aa83266 100644
--- a/lisp/files.el
+++ b/lisp/files.el
@@ -1057,7 +1057,7 @@ Tip: You can use this expansion of remote identifier components
      to derive a new remote file name from an existing one.  For
      example, if FILE is \"/sudo::/path/to/file\" then
 
-       \(concat \(file-remote-p FILE) \"/bin/sh\")
+       (concat (file-remote-p FILE) \"/bin/sh\")
 
      returns a remote file name for file \"/bin/sh\" that has the
      same remote identifier as FILE but expanded; a name such as
@@ -3863,7 +3863,7 @@ directories."
 However, the mode will not be changed if
 \(1) a local variables list or the `-*-' line specifies a major mode, or
 \(2) the current major mode is a \"special\" mode,
-\     not suitable for ordinary files, or
+    not suitable for ordinary files, or
 \(3) the new file name does not particularly specify any mode."
   :type 'boolean
   :group 'editing-basics)
diff --git a/lisp/filesets.el b/lisp/filesets.el
index 464c7c3eec5..ab332bbeff0 100644
--- a/lisp/filesets.el
+++ b/lisp/filesets.el
@@ -415,10 +415,10 @@ at the last position.
 Possible uses: If you don't want to save `filesets-data' in your normal
 configuration file, you can add a something like this
 
-        \(lambda ()
-              \(insert (format \"(setq-default filesets-data \\='%S)\"
+        (lambda ()
+              (insert (format \"(setq-default filesets-data \\='%S)\"
                               filesets-data))
-              \(newline 2))
+              (newline 2))
 
 to this hook.
 
@@ -550,14 +550,14 @@ will be recursively added to the menu.  `filesets-tree-max-level' tells up
 to which level the directory structure should be scanned/listed,
 i.e. how deep the menu should be.  Try something like
 
-        \(\"HOME -- only one level\"
-         \(:tree \"~\" \"^[^.].*[^~]$\")
-         \(:tree-max-level 1)
-         \(:filter-dirs-flag t))
-        \(\"HOME -- up to 3 levels\"
-         \(:tree \"~\" \"^[^.].*[^~]$\")
-         \(:tree-max-level 3)
-         \(:filter-dirs-flag t))
+        (\"HOME -- only one level\"
+         (:tree \"~\" \"^[^.].*[^~]$\")
+         (:tree-max-level 1)
+         (:filter-dirs-flag t))
+        (\"HOME -- up to 3 levels\"
+         (:tree \"~\" \"^[^.].*[^~]$\")
+         (:tree-max-level 3)
+         (:filter-dirs-flag t))
 
 and it should become clear what this option is about.  In any case,
 including directory trees to the menu can take a lot of memory."
@@ -679,20 +679,20 @@ variables my-ps-viewer, my-pdf-viewer, my-dvi-viewer, my-pic-viewer.
 In order to view pdf or rtf files in an Emacs buffer, you could use these:
 
 
-      \(\"^.+\\\\.pdf\\\\\\='\" \"pdftotext\"
-       \((:capture-output t)
-        \(:args (\"%S - | fmt -w \" window-width))
-        \(:ignore-on-read-text t)
-        \(:constraintp (lambda ()
-                        \(and \(filesets-which-command-p \"pdftotext\")
-                             \(filesets-which-command-p \"fmt\"))))))
-      \(\"^.+\\\\.rtf\\\\\\='\" \"rtf2htm\"
-       \((:capture-output t)
-        \(:args (\"%S 2> /dev/null | w3m -dump -T text/html\"))
-        \(:ignore-on-read-text t)
-        \(:constraintp (lambda ()
-                        \(and (filesets-which-command-p \"rtf2htm\")
-                             \(filesets-which-command-p \"w3m\"))))))"
+      (\"^.+\\\\.pdf\\\\\\='\" \"pdftotext\"
+       ((:capture-output t)
+        (:args (\"%S - | fmt -w \" window-width))
+        (:ignore-on-read-text t)
+        (:constraintp (lambda ()
+                        (and (filesets-which-command-p \"pdftotext\")
+                             (filesets-which-command-p \"fmt\"))))))
+      (\"^.+\\\\.rtf\\\\\\='\" \"rtf2htm\"
+       ((:capture-output t)
+        (:args (\"%S 2> /dev/null | w3m -dump -T text/html\"))
+        (:ignore-on-read-text t)
+        (:constraintp (lambda ()
+                        (and (filesets-which-command-p \"rtf2htm\")
+                             (filesets-which-command-p \"w3m\"))))))"
   :set (function filesets-set-default)
   :type '(repeat :tag "Viewer"
                  (list :tag "Definition"
@@ -756,7 +756,7 @@ In order to view pdf or rtf files in an Emacs buffer, you could use these:
 (defcustom filesets-ingroup-patterns
   '(("^.+\\.tex$" t
      (((:name "Package")
-       (:pattern "\\\\usepackage\\W*\\(\\[[^\]]*\\]\\W*\\)?{\\W*\\(.+\\)\\W*}")
+       (:pattern "\\\\usepackage\\W*\\(\\[[^]]*\\]\\W*\\)?{\\W*\\(.+\\)\\W*}")
        (:match-number 2)
        (:stub-flag t)
        (:get-file-name (lambda (master file)
@@ -951,18 +951,18 @@ variable will take effect after rebuilding the menu.
 Caveat: Fileset names have to be unique.
 
 Example definition:
-      \\='\(\(\"My Wiki\"
-         \(:ingroup \"~/Etc/My-Wiki/WikiContents\"))
-        \(\"My Homepage\"
-         \(:pattern \"~/public_html/\" \"^.+\\\\.html$\")
-         \(:open filesets-find-file))
-        \(\"User Configuration\"
-         \(:files \"~/.xinitrc\"
+      \\='((\"My Wiki\"
+         (:ingroup \"~/Etc/My-Wiki/WikiContents\"))
+        (\"My Homepage\"
+         (:pattern \"~/public_html/\" \"^.+\\\\.html$\")
+         (:open filesets-find-file))
+        (\"User Configuration\"
+         (:files \"~/.xinitrc\"
                  \"~/.bashrc\"
                  \"~/.bash_profile\"))
-        \(\"HOME\"
-         \(:tree \"~\" \"^[^.].*[^~]$\")
-         \(:filter-dirs-flag t)))
+        (\"HOME\"
+         (:tree \"~\" \"^[^.].*[^~]$\")
+         (:filter-dirs-flag t)))
 
 `filesets-data' is a list of (NAME-AS-STRING . DEFINITION), DEFINITION
 being an association list with the fields:
@@ -2450,13 +2450,13 @@ and edit your startup file as shown below:
 1. `filesets-data': Edit all :pattern filesets in your startup file and
 transform all entries as shown in this example:
 
-        \(\"Test\" (:pattern \"~/dir/^pattern$\"))
-        --> \(\"Test\" (:pattern \"~/dir/\" \"^pattern$\"))
+        (\"Test\" (:pattern \"~/dir/^pattern$\"))
+        --> (\"Test\" (:pattern \"~/dir/\" \"^pattern$\"))
 
 2. `filesets-data': Change all occurrences of \":document\" to \":ingroup\":
 
-      \(\(\"Test\" \(:document \"~/dir/file\"))
-      --> \(\(\"Test\" \(:ingroup \"~/dir/file\"))
+      ((\"Test\" (:document \"~/dir/file\"))
+      --> ((\"Test\" (:ingroup \"~/dir/file\"))
 
 3. `filesets-subdocument-patterns': If you already modified the variable
 previously called `filesets-subdocument-patterns', change its name to
diff --git a/lisp/find-cmd.el b/lisp/find-cmd.el
index d78a0b35fab..71c7a9b9c77 100644
--- a/lisp/find-cmd.el
+++ b/lisp/find-cmd.el
@@ -140,10 +140,10 @@ the string will be quoted).")
   "Initiate the building of a find command.
 For example:
 
-\(find-cmd \\='\(prune \(name \".svn\" \".git\" \".CVS\"\)\)
-          \\='\(and \(or \(name \"*.pl\" \"*.pm\" \"*.t\"\)
-                    \(mtime \"+1\"\)\)
-                \(fstype \"nfs\" \"ufs\"\)\)\)\)
+\(find-cmd \\='(prune (name \".svn\" \".git\" \".CVS\"))
+          \\='(and (or (name \"*.pl\" \"*.pm\" \"*.t\")
+                    (mtime \"+1\"))
+                (fstype \"nfs\" \"ufs\"))))
 
 `default-directory' is used as the initial search path.  The
 result is a string that should be ready for the command line."
@@ -159,9 +159,9 @@ result is a string that should be ready for the command line."
 
 (defun find-and (form)
   "And FORMs together, so:
-  \(and \(mtime \"+1\"\) \(name \"something\"\)\)
+  (and (mtime \"+1\") (name \"something\"))
 will produce:
-  find . \\\( -mtime +1 -and -name something \\\)"
+  find . \\( -mtime +1 -and -name something \\)"
   (if (< (length form) 2)
       (find-to-string (car form))
       (concat "\\( "
@@ -170,9 +170,9 @@ will produce:
 
 (defun find-or (form)
   "Or FORMs together, so:
-  \(or \(mtime \"+1\"\) \(name \"something\"\)\)
+  (or (mtime \"+1\") (name \"something\"))
 will produce:
-  find . \\\( -mtime +1 -or -name something \\\)"
+  find . \\( -mtime +1 -or -name something \\)"
   (if (< (length form) 2)
       (find-to-string (car form))
       (concat "\\( "
@@ -181,21 +181,21 @@ will produce:
 
 (defun find-not (form)
   "Or FORMs together and prefix with a -not, so:
-  \(not \(mtime \"+1\"\) \(name \"something\"\)\)
+  (not (mtime \"+1\") (name \"something\"))
 will produce:
-  -not \\\( -mtime +1 -or -name something \\\)
+  -not \\( -mtime +1 -or -name something \\)
 If you wanted the FORMs -and(ed) together instead then this would
 suffice:
-  \(not \(and \(mtime \"+1\"\) \(name \"something\"\)\)\)"
+  (not (and (mtime \"+1\") (name \"something\")))"
   (concat "-not " (find-or (mapcar #'find-to-string form))))
 
 (defun find-prune (form)
   "-or together FORMs postfix `-prune' and then -or that with a
 -true, so:
-  \(\(prune \(name \".svn\" \".git\"\)\) \(name \"*.pm\"\)\)
+  ((prune (name \".svn\" \".git\")) (name \"*.pm\"))
 will produce (unwrapped):
-  \\\( \\\( \\\( -name .svn -or -name .git \\\) /
-  -prune -or -true \\\) -and -name *.pm \\\)"
+  \\( \\( \\( -name .svn -or -name .git \\) /
+  -prune -or -true \\) -and -name *.pm \\)"
   (find-or
    (list
     (concat (find-or (mapcar #'find-to-string form)) (find-generic "prune"))
diff --git a/lisp/find-dired.el b/lisp/find-dired.el
index b53c1da2a80..c4ef0fef229 100644
--- a/lisp/find-dired.el
+++ b/lisp/find-dired.el
@@ -72,10 +72,10 @@ a file listing in the desired format.  LS-SWITCHES is a set of
 
 The two options must be set to compatible values.
 For example, to use human-readable file sizes with GNU ls:
-   \(\"-exec ls -ldh {} +\" . \"-ldh\")
+   (\"-exec ls -ldh {} +\" . \"-ldh\")
 
 To use GNU find's inbuilt \"-ls\" option to list files:
-   \(\"-ls\" . \"-dilsb\")
+   (\"-ls\" . \"-dilsb\")
 since GNU find's output has the same format as using GNU ls with
 the options \"-dilsb\"."
   :version "24.1"              ; add tests for -ls and -exec + support
diff --git a/lisp/find-file.el b/lisp/find-file.el
index 97e95d206d8..5c2c5064453 100644
--- a/lisp/find-file.el
+++ b/lisp/find-file.el
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ To override this, give an argument to `ff-find-other-file'."
 ;;;###autoload
 (defcustom ff-special-constructs
   ;; C/C++ include, for NeXTstep too
-  `((,(purecopy "^\#\\s *\\(include\\|import\\)\\s +[<\"]\\(.*\\)[>\"]") .
+  `((,(purecopy "^#\\s *\\(include\\|import\\)\\s +[<\"]\\(.*\\)[>\"]") .
      (lambda ()
        (buffer-substring (match-beginning 2) (match-end 2)))))
   ;; We include `ff-treat-as-special' documentation here so that autoload
@@ -678,7 +678,7 @@ name of the first file found."
       (setq suffixes suffix-list)
 
       ;; if dir does not contain '/*', look for the file
-      (if (and dir (not (string-match "\\([^*]*\\)/\\\*\\(/.*\\)*" dir)))
+      (if (and dir (not (string-match "\\([^*]*\\)/\\*\\(/.*\\)*" dir)))
           (progn
 
             ;; suffixes is nil => fname-stub is the file we are looking for
diff --git a/lisp/foldout.el b/lisp/foldout.el
index 64c0af451b8..0a401c77ddf 100644
--- a/lisp/foldout.el
+++ b/lisp/foldout.el
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ An end marker of nil means the fold ends after (point-max).")
   "Open the subtree under the current heading and narrow to it.
 
 Normally the body and the immediate subheadings are exposed, but
-optional arg EXPOSURE \(interactively with prefix arg\) changes this:-
+optional arg EXPOSURE \(interactively with prefix arg) changes this:-
 
         EXPOSURE > 0    exposes n levels of subheadings (c.f. show-children)
         EXPOSURE < 0    exposes only the body
diff --git a/lisp/format.el b/lisp/format.el
index 96591a70a17..8a756e3396c 100644
--- a/lisp/format.el
+++ b/lisp/format.el
@@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ the rest of the arguments are any PARAMETERs found in that region.
 Any annotations that are found by NEXT-FN but not defined by TRANSLATIONS
 are saved as values of the `unknown' text-property \(which is list-valued).
 The TRANSLATIONS list should usually contain an entry of the form
-    \(unknown \(nil format-annotate-value))
+    (unknown (nil format-annotate-value))
 to write these unknown annotations back into the file."
   (save-excursion
     (save-restriction
@@ -839,7 +839,7 @@ the first character in the buffer)."
       (setq l (cdr l)))))
 
 (defun format-annotate-value (old new)
-  "Return OLD and NEW as a \(CLOSE . OPEN) annotation pair.
+  "Return OLD and NEW as a (CLOSE . OPEN) annotation pair.
 Useful as a default function for TRANSLATIONS alist when the value of the text
 property is the name of the annotation that you want to use, as it is for the
 `unknown' text property."
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/auth-source.el b/lisp/gnus/auth-source.el
index 01cb3bf93b7..f101ecdea08 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/auth-source.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/auth-source.el
@@ -1557,20 +1557,20 @@ You'll get back all the properties of the token as a plist.
 Here's an example that looks for the first item in the `Login'
 Secrets collection:
 
- \(let ((auth-sources \\='(\"secrets:Login\")))
+ (let ((auth-sources \\='(\"secrets:Login\")))
     (auth-source-search :max 1)
 
 Here's another that looks for the first item in the `Login'
 Secrets collection whose label contains `gnus':
 
- \(let ((auth-sources \\='(\"secrets:Login\")))
+ (let ((auth-sources \\='(\"secrets:Login\")))
     (auth-source-search :max 1 :label \"gnus\")
 
 And this one looks for the first item in the `Login' Secrets
 collection that's a Google Chrome entry for the git.gnus.org site
 authentication tokens:
 
- \(let ((auth-sources \\='(\"secrets:Login\")))
+ (let ((auth-sources \\='(\"secrets:Login\")))
     (auth-source-search :max 1 :signon_realm \"https://git.gnus.org/Git\"))
 "
 
@@ -1691,19 +1691,19 @@ field), :user maps to \"-a USER\", and :port maps to \"-s PORT\".
 Here's an example that looks for the first item in the default
 generic MacOS Keychain:
 
- \(let ((auth-sources \\='(macos-keychain-generic)))
+ (let ((auth-sources \\='(macos-keychain-generic)))
     (auth-source-search :max 1)
 
 Here's another that looks for the first item in the internet
 MacOS Keychain collection whose label is `gnus':
 
- \(let ((auth-sources \\='(macos-keychain-internet)))
+ (let ((auth-sources \\='(macos-keychain-internet)))
     (auth-source-search :max 1 :label \"gnus\")
 
 And this one looks for the first item in the internet keychain
 entries for git.gnus.org:
 
- \(let ((auth-sources \\='(macos-keychain-internet\")))
+ (let ((auth-sources \\='(macos-keychain-internet\")))
     (auth-source-search :max 1 :host \"git.gnus.org\"))
 "
   ;; TODO
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-art.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-art.el
index c256834dc2e..44aff772402 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-art.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-art.el
@@ -5516,7 +5516,7 @@ If no internal viewer is available, use an external viewer."
          (mm-display-part handle nil t))))))
 
 (defun gnus-mime-action-on-part (&optional action)
-  "Do something with the MIME attachment at \(point\)."
+  "Do something with the MIME attachment at (point)."
   (interactive
    (list (gnus-completing-read "Action" (mapcar 'car gnus-mime-action-alist) t)))
   (gnus-article-check-buffer)
@@ -5992,7 +5992,7 @@ If t, it overrides nil values of
   "Display \"multipart/related\" parts as  \"multipart/mixed\".
 
 If displaying \"text/html\" is discouraged \(see
-`mm-discouraged-alternatives'\) images or other material inside a
+`mm-discouraged-alternatives') images or other material inside a
 \"multipart/related\" part might be overlooked when this variable is nil."
   :version "22.1"
   :group 'gnus-article-mime
@@ -7545,7 +7545,7 @@ must return `mid', `mail', `invalid' or `ask'."
     (10.0  . "^[^0-9]+@")
     (3.0   . "^[^0-9]+[0-9][0-9]?[0-9]?@")
     ;;      ^[^0-9]+[0-9]{1,3}\@ digits only at end of local part
-    (3.0   . "\@stud")
+    (3.0   . "@stud")
     ;;
     (2.0   . "[a-z][a-z][._-][A-Z][a-z].*@")
     ;;
@@ -7553,7 +7553,7 @@ must return `mid', `mail', `invalid' or `ask'."
     (0.5   . "^[A-Z][a-z][a-z]")
     (1.5   . "^[A-Z][a-z][A-Z][a-z][^a-z]") ;; ^[A-Z][a-z]{3,3}
     (2.0   . "^[A-Z][a-z][A-Z][a-z][a-z][^a-z]")) ;; ^[A-Z][a-z]{4,4}
-  "An alist of \(RATE . REGEXP\) pairs for `gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic'.
+  "An alist of (RATE . REGEXP) pairs for `gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic'.
 
 A negative RATE indicates a message IDs, whereas a positive indicates a mail
 address.  The REGEXP is processed with `case-fold-search' set to nil."
@@ -7612,9 +7612,9 @@ address, `ask' if unsure and `invalid' if the string is invalid."
           (gnus-message
            9 "Many digits in `%s', rate `%s', result `%s'."
            mid-or-mail rate result))
-         ((string-match "[^aeiouy][^aeiouy][^aeiouy][^aeiouy]+.*\@"
+         ((string-match "[^aeiouy][^aeiouy][^aeiouy][^aeiouy]+.*@"
                         mid-or-mail)
-          ;; Too few vowels [^aeiouy]{4,}.*\@
+          ;; Too few vowels [^aeiouy]{4,}.*@
           (setq result (+ result -5.0))
           (gnus-message
            9 "Few vowels in `%s', rate `%s', result `%s'."
@@ -8113,7 +8113,7 @@ url is put as the `gnus-button-url' overlay property on the button."
                                               (< (match-end 0) start))
                                      (regexp-quote (match-string 0)))
                                    "\
-\[\t ]*\\(?:\\([^\t\n \">]+\\)[\t ]*$\\|\\([^\t\n \">]*\\)[\t ]*"
+[\t ]*\\(?:\\([^\t\n \">]+\\)[\t ]*$\\|\\([^\t\n \">]*\\)[\t ]*"
                                    delim "\\)"))
                      (while (progn
                               (forward-line 1)
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-bookmark.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-bookmark.el
index e26c78b65c5..3e4807cd7ce 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-bookmark.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-bookmark.el
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ List of details is defined in `gnus-bookmark-bookmark-inline-details'.
 This may result in truncated bookmark names.  To disable this, put the
 following in your `.emacs' file:
 
-\(setq gnus-bookmark-bmenu-toggle-infos nil\)"
+\(setq gnus-bookmark-bmenu-toggle-infos nil)"
   :type 'boolean
   :group 'gnus-bookmark)
 
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ You can toggle whether details are shown with \\<gnus-bookmark-bmenu-mode-map>\\
 
 (defcustom gnus-bookmark-bookmark-inline-details '(author)
   "Details to be shown with `gnus-bookmark-bmenu-toggle-infos'.
-The default value is \(subject\)."
+The default value is \(subject)."
   :type '(list :tag "Gnus bookmark details"
                (set :inline t
                     (const :tag "Author" author)
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ The default value is \(subject\)."
 (defcustom gnus-bookmark-bookmark-details
   '(author subject date group annotation)
   "Details to be shown with `gnus-bookmark-bmenu-show-details'.
-The default value is \(author subject date group annotation\)."
+The default value is \(author subject date group annotation)."
   :type '(list :tag "Gnus bookmark details"
                (set :inline t
                     (const :tag "Author" author)
@@ -160,17 +160,17 @@ You should never need to change this.")
   "Association list of Gnus bookmarks and their records.
 The format of the alist is
 
-     \(BMK1 BMK2 ...\)
+     (BMK1 BMK2 ...)
 
 where each BMK is of the form
 
 \(NAME
-  \(group . GROUP\)
-  \(message-id . MESSAGE-ID\)
-  \(author . AUTHOR\)
-  \(date . DATE\)
-  \(subject . SUBJECT\)
-  \(annotation . ANNOTATION\)\)
+  (group . GROUP)
+  (message-id . MESSAGE-ID)
+  (author . AUTHOR)
+  (date . DATE)
+  (subject . SUBJECT)
+  (annotation . ANNOTATION))
 
 So the cdr of each bookmark is an alist too.")
 
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ That is, all information but the name."
   (car (cdr (gnus-bookmark-get-bookmark bookmark))))
 
 (defun gnus-bookmark-name-from-full-record (full-record)
-  "Return name of FULL-RECORD \(an alist element instead of a string\)."
+  "Return name of FULL-RECORD (an alist element instead of a string)."
   (car full-record))
 
 (defvar gnus-bookmark-bmenu-bookmark-column nil)
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ Gnus bookmarks names preceded by a \"*\" have annotations.
   Also show bookmarks marked using m in other windows.
 \\[gnus-bookmark-bmenu-toggle-infos] -- toggle displaying of details (they may obscure long bookmark names).
 \\[gnus-bookmark-bmenu-locate] -- display (in minibuffer) location of this bookmark.
-\\[gnus-bookmark-bmenu-rename] -- rename this bookmark \(prompts for new name\).
+\\[gnus-bookmark-bmenu-rename] -- rename this bookmark (prompts for new name).
 \\[gnus-bookmark-bmenu-delete] -- mark this bookmark to be deleted, and move down.
 \\[gnus-bookmark-bmenu-delete-backwards] -- mark this bookmark to be deleted, and move up.
 \\[gnus-bookmark-bmenu-execute-deletions] -- delete bookmarks marked with `\\[gnus-bookmark-bmenu-delete]'.
@@ -806,7 +806,7 @@ command."
 Removes only the first instance of a bookmark with that name.  If
 there are one or more other bookmarks with the same name, they will
 not be deleted.  Defaults to the \"current\" bookmark \(that is, the
-one most recently used in this file, if any\).
+one most recently used in this file, if any).
 Optional second arg BATCH means don't update the bookmark list buffer,
 probably because we were called from there."
   (gnus-bookmark-maybe-load-default-file)
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-cus.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-cus.el
index 93b7a1ba635..9b8cbc3589d 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-cus.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-cus.el
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ to the groups in this topic, then edit the value to suit your taste."
                                        :greedy t
                                        :tag "Agent Parameters"
                                        :format "%t:\n%h%v"
-                                       :doc "\ These agent parameters are
+                                       :doc "These agent parameters are
 recognized by Gnus.  They control article selection and expiration for
 use in the unplugged cache.  Check the [ ] for the parameters you want
 to apply to this group or to the groups in this topic, then edit the
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-group.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-group.el
index 21cb1b8b133..b1a4933ebf1 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-group.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-group.el
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ list."
                          (function-item gnus-group-sort-by-rank)
                          (function :tag "other" nil))))
 
-(defcustom gnus-group-line-format "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y:%B%(%g%)\n"
+(defcustom gnus-group-line-format "%M\ %S\ %p\ %P\ %5y:%B%(%g%)\n"
   "*Format of group lines.
 It works along the same lines as a normal formatting string,
 with some simple extensions.
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ See Info node `(gnus)Formatting Variables'."
   :group 'gnus-group-visual
   :type 'string)
 
-(defcustom gnus-group-mode-line-format "Gnus: %%b {%M\%:%S}"
+(defcustom gnus-group-mode-line-format "Gnus: %%b {%M\ %:%S}"
   "*The format specification for the group mode line.
 It works along the same lines as a normal formatting string,
 with some simple extensions:
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ If non-nil, the value should be a string or an alist.  If it is a string,
 e.g. \"nnml:\", in which case `gnus-group-jump-to-group' offers \"Group:
 nnml:\" in the minibuffer prompt.
 
-If it is an alist, it must consist of \(NUMBER .  PROMPT\) pairs, for example:
+If it is an alist, it must consist of \(NUMBER .  PROMPT) pairs, for example:
 \((1 .  \"\") (2 .  \"nnfolder+archive:\")).  The element with number 0 is
 used when no prefix argument is given to `gnus-group-jump-to-group'."
   :version "22.1"
@@ -2174,7 +2174,7 @@ be permanent."
           (gnus-group-decoded-name group)))
     (let ((regexp "[][\C-@-\t\v-*,/:-@\\^`{-\C-?]*\
 \\(nn[a-z]+\\(?:\\+[^][\C-@-*,/:-@\\^`{-\C-?]+\\)?:\
-\[^][\C-@-*,./:-@\\^`{-\C-?]+\\(?:\\.[^][\C-@-*,./:-@\\^`{-\C-?]+\\)*\
+[^][\C-@-*,./:-@\\^`{-\C-?]+\\(?:\\.[^][\C-@-*,./:-@\\^`{-\C-?]+\\)*\
 \\|[^][\C-@-*,./:-@\\^`{-\C-?]+\\(?:\\.[^][\C-@-*,./:-@\\^`{-\C-?]+\\)+\\)")
           (start (point))
           (case-fold-search nil))
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-mlspl.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-mlspl.el
index 56166f2fca2..37a5d6150db 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-mlspl.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-mlspl.el
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ See `gnus-group-split-fancy' for more information.
   "Uses information from group parameters in order to split mail.
 It can be embedded into `nnmail-split-fancy' lists with the SPLIT
 
-\(: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL\)
+\(: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
 
 GROUPS may be a regular expression or a list of group names, that will
 be used to select candidate groups.  If it is omitted or nil, all
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-registry.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-registry.el
index 23c79cbdb15..77ff428e1f1 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-registry.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-registry.el
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ In order to prevent constant pruning, we prune back to a number
 somewhat less than the maximum size.  This option controls
 exactly how much less.  For example, given a maximum size of
 50000 and a prune factor of 0.1, the pruning process will try to
-cut the registry back to \(- 50000 \(* 50000 0.1\)\) -> 45000
+cut the registry back to \(- 50000 \(* 50000 0.1)) -> 45000
 entries.  The pruning process is constrained by the presence of
 \"precious\" entries."
   :version "25.1"
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-salt.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-salt.el
index 5776b0a569f..bca5f43cd5f 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-salt.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-salt.el
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
   :group 'gnus-summary-pick)
 
 (defcustom gnus-summary-pick-line-format
-  "%-5P %U\%R\%z\%I\%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n"
+  "%-5P %U\ %R\ %z\ %I\ %(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n"
   "*The format specification of the lines in pick buffers.
 It accepts the same format specs that `gnus-summary-line-format' does."
   :type 'string
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-sieve.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-sieve.el
index cde93764cac..2a8ea3ed201 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-sieve.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-sieve.el
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ formatting characters are recognized:
 (defun gnus-sieve-update ()
   "Update the Sieve script in gnus-sieve-file, by replacing the region
 between gnus-sieve-region-start and gnus-sieve-region-end with
-\(gnus-sieve-script gnus-sieve-select-method gnus-sieve-crosspost\), then
+\(gnus-sieve-script gnus-sieve-select-method gnus-sieve-crosspost), then
 execute gnus-sieve-update-shell-command.
 See the documentation for these variables and functions for details."
   (interactive)
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ See the documentation for these variables and functions for details."
 (defun gnus-sieve-generate ()
   "Generate the Sieve script in gnus-sieve-file, by replacing the region
 between gnus-sieve-region-start and gnus-sieve-region-end with
-\(gnus-sieve-script gnus-sieve-select-method gnus-sieve-crosspost\).
+\(gnus-sieve-script gnus-sieve-select-method gnus-sieve-crosspost).
 See the documentation for these variables and functions for details."
   (interactive)
   (require 'sieve)
@@ -195,9 +195,9 @@ For example:
 
 (defun gnus-sieve-script (&optional method crosspost)
   "Generate a Sieve script based on groups with select method METHOD
-\(or all groups if nil\).  Only groups having a `sieve' parameter are
+\(or all groups if nil).  Only groups having a `sieve' parameter are
 considered.  This parameter should contain an elisp test
-\(see the documentation of gnus-sieve-test for details\).  For each
+\(see the documentation of gnus-sieve-test for details).  For each
 such group, a Sieve IF control structure is generated, having the
 test as the condition and { fileinto \"group.name\"; } as the body.
 
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus-util.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus-util.el
index 215eac88aef..40e2dcf92fd 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus-util.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus-util.el
@@ -1486,7 +1486,7 @@ sure of changing the value of `foo'."
 (defvar gnus-directory-sep-char-regexp "/"
   "The regexp of directory separator character.
 If you find some problem with the directory separator character, try
-\"[/\\\\\]\" for some systems.")
+\"[/\\\\]\" for some systems.")
 
 (defun gnus-url-unhex (x)
   (if (> x ?9)
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/gnus.el b/lisp/gnus/gnus.el
index ea26216faca..a2913ac9fdd 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/gnus.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/gnus.el
@@ -1361,7 +1361,7 @@ group (or nil) as a parameter.
 If you want to save your mail in one group and the news articles you
 write in another group, you could say something like:
 
- \(setq gnus-message-archive-group
+  (setq gnus-message-archive-group
         \\='((if (message-news-p)
               \"misc-news\"
             \"misc-mail\")))
@@ -2517,10 +2517,10 @@ This should be an alist for Emacs, or a plist for XEmacs."
   "Which information should be exposed in the User-Agent header.
 
 Can be a list of symbols or a string.  Valid symbols are `gnus'
-\(show Gnus version\) and `emacs' \(show Emacs version\).  In
+\(show Gnus version) and `emacs' \(show Emacs version).  In
 addition to the Emacs version, you can add `codename' \(show
-\(S\)XEmacs codename\) or either `config' \(show system
-configuration\) or `type' \(show system type\).  If you set it to
+\(S)XEmacs codename) or either `config' \(show system
+configuration) or `type' \(show system type).  If you set it to
 a string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616."
 
   :version "22.1"
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/message.el b/lisp/gnus/message.el
index 13ed8c05809..1b693d77983 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/message.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/message.el
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ few false positives here."
 
 (defcustom message-archive-header "X-No-Archive: Yes\n"
   "Header to insert when you don't want your article to be archived.
-Archives \(such as groups.google.com\) respect this header."
+Archives \(such as groups.google.com) respect this header."
   :version "22.1"
   :type 'string
   :link '(custom-manual "(message)Header Commands")
@@ -1200,7 +1200,7 @@ If stringp, use this; if non-nil, use no host name (user name only)."
 (defvar message-reply-headers nil
   "The headers of the current replied article.
 It is a vector of the following headers:
-\[number subject from date id references chars lines xref extra].")
+[number subject from date id references chars lines xref extra].")
 (defvar message-newsreader nil)
 (defvar message-mailer nil)
 (defvar message-sent-message-via nil)
@@ -1303,7 +1303,7 @@ actually occur."
   "Alist of ways to send outgoing messages.
 Each element has the form
 
-  \(TYPE PREDICATE FUNCTION)
+  (TYPE PREDICATE FUNCTION)
 
 where TYPE is a symbol that names the method; PREDICATE is a function
 called without any parameters to determine whether the message is
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/mm-decode.el b/lisp/gnus/mm-decode.el
index 3d5a15afedb..327b0e6e86f 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/mm-decode.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/mm-decode.el
@@ -1419,7 +1419,7 @@ Return t if meta tag is added or replaced."
         (goto-char (point-min))
         (if (re-search-forward "\
 <meta\\s-+http-equiv=[\"']?content-type[\"']?\\s-+content=[\"']\
-text/\\(\\sw+\\)\\(?:\;\\s-*charset=\\([^\"'>]+\\)\\)?[^>]*>" nil t)
+text/\\(\\sw+\\)\\(?:;\\s-*charset=\\([^\"'>]+\\)\\)?[^>]*>" nil t)
             (if (and (not force-charset)
                      (match-beginning 2)
                      (string-match "\\`html\\'" (match-string 1)))
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/nndoc.el b/lisp/gnus/nndoc.el
index 70d803faf54..cca341875e0 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/nndoc.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/nndoc.el
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ from the document.")
                                    nil t)
             (setq subject (concat (match-string 1) subject))
             (setq from (concat (match-string 2) " " from))))))
-    (while (and from (string-match "(\[^)\]*)" from))
+    (while (and from (string-match "([^)]*)" from))
       (setq from (replace-match "" t t from)))
     (insert "From: "  (or from "unknown")
             "\nSubject: " (or subject "(no subject)") "\n")
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/nnheader.el b/lisp/gnus/nnheader.el
index c88f4afa7dc..0d2d453df3e 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/nnheader.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/nnheader.el
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ they will keep on jabbering all the time."
   "*Max length of the head of articles.
 
 Value is an integer, nil, or t.  nil means read in chunks of a file
-indefinitely until a complete head is found\; t means always read the
+indefinitely until a complete head is found; t means always read the
 entire file immediately, disregarding `nnheader-head-chop-length'.
 
 Integer values will in effect be rounded up to the nearest multiple of
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/registry.el b/lisp/gnus/registry.el
index 58b17415721..9f3f38175bc 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/registry.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/registry.el
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
     :initform 0.1
     :type float
     :custom float
-    :documentation "Prune to \(:max-size * :prune-factor\) less
+    :documentation "Prune to (:max-size * :prune-factor) less
     than the :max-size limit.  Should be a float between 0 and 1.")
    (tracked :initarg :tracked
             :initform nil
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ Errors out if the key exists already."
   "Prunes the registry-db object DB.
 
 Attempts to prune the number of entries down to \(*
-:max-size :prune-factor\) less than the max-size limit, so
+:max-size :prune-factor) less than the max-size limit, so
 pruning doesn't need to happen on every save. Removes only
 entries without the :precious keys, so it may not be possible to
 reach the target limit.
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/rfc1843.el b/lisp/gnus/rfc1843.el
index cab2f4e751c..83bda2af8a9 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/rfc1843.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/rfc1843.el
@@ -46,11 +46,11 @@
 
 (defvar rfc1843-hzp-word-regexp
   "~\\({\\([\041-\167][\041-\176]\\| \\)+\\|\
-\[<>]\\([\041-\175][\041-\176]\\| \\)+\\)\\(~}\\|$\\)")
+[<>]\\([\041-\175][\041-\176]\\| \\)+\\)\\(~}\\|$\\)")
 
 (defvar rfc1843-hzp-word-regexp-strictly
   "~\\({\\([\041-\167][\041-\176]\\)+\\|\
-\[<>]\\([\041-\175][\041-\176]\\)+\\)\\(~}\\|$\\)")
+[<>]\\([\041-\175][\041-\176]\\)+\\)\\(~}\\|$\\)")
 
 (defcustom rfc1843-decode-loosely nil
   "Loosely check HZ encoding if non-nil.
diff --git a/lisp/gnus/rfc2047.el b/lisp/gnus/rfc2047.el
index ea558d75a20..e8a377979ff 100644
--- a/lisp/gnus/rfc2047.el
+++ b/lisp/gnus/rfc2047.el
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ quoted-printable and base64 respectively.")
 
 (eval-and-compile ;; Necessary to hard code them in `rfc2047-decode-region'.
   (defconst rfc2047-encoded-word-regexp
-    "=\\?\\([^][\000-\040()<>@,\;:*\\\"/?.=]+\\)\\(?:\\*[^?]+\\)?\\?\
+    "=\\?\\([^][\000-\040()<>@,;:*\\\"/?.=]+\\)\\(?:\\*[^?]+\\)?\\?\
 \\(B\\?[+/0-9A-Za-z]*=*\
 \\|Q\\?[ ->@-~]*\
 \\)\\?="
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ quoted-printable and base64 respectively.")
     ;; the characters that those encodings may generally use.
     )
   (defconst rfc2047-encoded-word-regexp-loose
-    "=\\?\\([^][\000-\040()<>@,\;:*\\\"/?.=]+\\)\\(?:\\*[^?]+\\)?\\?\
+    "=\\?\\([^][\000-\040()<>@,;:*\\\"/?.=]+\\)\\(?:\\*[^?]+\\)?\\?\
 \\(B\\?[+/0-9A-Za-z]*=*\
 \\|Q\\?\\(?:\\?+[ -<>@-~]\\)?\\(?:[ ->@-~]+\\?+[ -<>@-~]\\)*[ ->@-~]*\\?*\
 \\)\\?="
diff --git a/lisp/help-fns.el b/lisp/help-fns.el
index 77ef21d4af1..945b4d523cc 100644
--- a/lisp/help-fns.el
+++ b/lisp/help-fns.el
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ if the variable `help-downcase-arguments' is non-nil."
         (skip-chars-forward "^ ")
         (while next
           (or opt (not (looking-at " &")) (setq opt t))
-          (if (not (re-search-forward " \\([\\[(]*\\)\\([^] &)\.]+\\)" nil t))
+          (if (not (re-search-forward " \\([\\[(]*\\)\\([^] &).]+\\)" nil t))
               (setq next nil)
             (setq args (cons (match-string 2) args))
             (when (and opt (string= (match-string 1) "("))
diff --git a/lisp/help.el b/lisp/help.el
index 66df6b08037..3387628fb8a 100644
--- a/lisp/help.el
+++ b/lisp/help.el
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ With argument, display info only for the selected version."
                    (while (re-search-forward
                            (if (member file '("NEWS.18" "NEWS.1-17"))
                                "Changes in \\(?:Emacs\\|version\\)?[ \t]*\\([0-9]+\\(?:\\.[0-9]+\\)?\\)"
-                             "^\* [^0-9\n]*\\([0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\)") nil t)
+                             "^\\* [^0-9\n]*\\([0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\)") nil t)
                      (setq res (cons (match-string-no-properties 1) res)))))
                (cons "NEWS"
                      (directory-files data-directory nil
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ With argument, display info only for the selected version."
       (when (re-search-forward
              (concat (if (< vn 19)
                          "Changes in Emacs[ \t]*"
-                       "^\* [^0-9\n]*") version "$")
+                       "^\\* [^0-9\n]*") version "$")
              nil t)
         (beginning-of-line)
         (narrow-to-region
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ With argument, display info only for the selected version."
                              (re-search-forward
                               (if (< vn 19)
                                   "Changes in \\(?:Emacs\\|version\\)?[ \t]*\\([0-9]+\\(?:\\.[0-9]+\\)?\\)"
-                                "^\* [^0-9\n]*\\([0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\)") nil t))
+                                "^\\* [^0-9\n]*\\([0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\)") nil t))
                        (equal (match-string-no-properties 1) version)))
            (or res (goto-char (point-max)))
            (beginning-of-line)
diff --git a/lisp/hfy-cmap.el b/lisp/hfy-cmap.el
index b7d3b344aca..6b7f2caed1e 100644
--- a/lisp/hfy-cmap.el
+++ b/lisp/hfy-cmap.el
@@ -810,7 +810,7 @@ Loads the variable `hfy-rgb-txt-colour-map', which is used by
 `hfy-fallback-colour-values'."
   (interactive
    (list
-    (read-file-name "rgb.txt \(equivalent\) file: " "" nil t (hfy-rgb-file))))
+    (read-file-name "rgb.txt (equivalent) file: " "" nil t (hfy-rgb-file))))
   (let ((rgb-buffer   nil)
         (end-of-rgb     0)
         (rgb-txt      nil))
diff --git a/lisp/htmlfontify.el b/lisp/htmlfontify.el
index 74cdfe13f58..0a0a0b346c0 100644
--- a/lisp/htmlfontify.el
+++ b/lisp/htmlfontify.el
@@ -1140,7 +1140,7 @@ See also `hfy-face-to-css'."
 
 (defvar hfy-face-to-css 'hfy-face-to-css-default
   "Handler for mapping faces  to styles.
-The signature of the handler is of the form \(lambda (FN) ...\).
+The signature of the handler is of the form \(lambda (FN) ...).
 FN is a font or `defface' specification (cf
 `face-attr-construct').  The handler should return a cons cell of
 the form (STYLE-NAME . STYLE-SPEC).
@@ -1598,7 +1598,7 @@ information."
 (defvar hfy-begin-span-handler 'hfy-begin-span
   "Handler to begin a span of text.
 The signature of the handler is \(lambda (STYLE TEXT-BLOCK
-TEXT-ID TEXT-BEGINS-BLOCK-P) ...\).  The handler must insert
+TEXT-ID TEXT-BEGINS-BLOCK-P) ...).  The handler must insert
 appropriate tags to begin a span of text.
 
 STYLE is the name of the style that begins at point.  It is
@@ -1626,7 +1626,7 @@ The default handler is `hfy-begin-span'.")
 
 (defvar hfy-end-span-handler 'hfy-end-span
   "Handler to end a span of text.
-The signature of the handler is \(lambda () ...\).  The handler
+The signature of the handler is \(lambda () ...).  The handler
 must insert appropriate tags to end a span of text.
 
 The default handler is `hfy-end-span'.")
@@ -2412,7 +2412,7 @@ You may also want to set `hfy-page-header' and `hfy-page-footer'."
     (load file 'NOERROR nil nil) ))
 
 
-;;;### (autoloads nil "hfy-cmap" "hfy-cmap.el" "ce07a28b93c09032fd6b225ad74be0df")
+;;;### (autoloads nil "hfy-cmap" "hfy-cmap.el" "1fb78b15b18622256262c7246b2a3520")
 ;;; Generated autoloads from hfy-cmap.el
 
 (autoload 'htmlfontify-load-rgb-file "hfy-cmap" "\
diff --git a/lisp/ibuffer.el b/lisp/ibuffer.el
index dc34a63aba9..5065b661101 100644
--- a/lisp/ibuffer.el
+++ b/lisp/ibuffer.el
@@ -1785,7 +1785,7 @@ If point is on a group name, this function operates on that group."
      (let ((procs 0)
            (files 0))
        (dolist (string strings)
-         (if (string-match "\\(\?:\\`(\[\[:ascii:\]\]\+)\\)" string)
+         (if (string-match "\\(?:\\`([[:ascii:]]+)\\)" string)
              (progn (setq procs (1+ procs))
                     (if (< (match-end 0) (length string))
                         (setq files (1+ files))))
diff --git a/lisp/ido.el b/lisp/ido.el
index 13b6d52e75c..6ad354c58f2 100644
--- a/lisp/ido.el
+++ b/lisp/ido.el
@@ -3777,13 +3777,13 @@ frame, rather than all frames, regardless of value of `ido-all-frames'."
                        (not (and (eq ido-cur-item 'buffer)
                                  ido-buffer-disable-smart-matches))
                        (not ido-enable-regexp)
-                       (not (string-match "\$\\'" rex0))
+                       (not (string-match "$\\'" rex0))
                        (concat "\\`" rex0 (if slash "/" "") "\\'")))
          (suffix-re (and do-full slash
                          (not (and (eq ido-cur-item 'buffer)
                                    ido-buffer-disable-smart-matches))
                          (not ido-enable-regexp)
-                         (not (string-match "\$\\'" rex0))
+                         (not (string-match "$\\'" rex0))
                          (concat rex0 "/\\'")))
          (prefix-re (and full-re (not ido-enable-prefix)
                          (concat "\\`" rexq)))
diff --git a/lisp/image.el b/lisp/image.el
index 0c62088ca5d..d557e39aac2 100644
--- a/lisp/image.el
+++ b/lisp/image.el
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 (defconst image-type-header-regexps
   `(("\\`/[\t\n\r ]*\\*.*XPM.\\*/" . xpm)
-    ("\\`P[1-6]\\\(?:\
+    ("\\`P[1-6]\\(?:\
 \\(?:\\(?:#[^\r\n]*[\r\n]\\)?[[:space:]]\\)+\
 \\(?:\\(?:#[^\r\n]*[\r\n]\\)?[0-9]\\)+\
 \\)\\{2\\}" . pbm)
diff --git a/lisp/info-look.el b/lisp/info-look.el
index 6168a0c2660..70c30c3e7a6 100644
--- a/lisp/info-look.el
+++ b/lisp/info-look.el
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ OTHER-MODES is a list of cross references to other help modes.")
   "Add or update a help specification.
 Function arguments are specified as keyword/argument pairs:
 
-    \(KEYWORD . ARGUMENT)
+    (KEYWORD . ARGUMENT)
 
 KEYWORD is either `:topic', `:mode', `:regexp', `:ignore-case',
  `:doc-spec', `:parse-rule', or `:other-modes'.
diff --git a/lisp/info.el b/lisp/info.el
index 95f0bcbd37c..bd12d568291 100644
--- a/lisp/info.el
+++ b/lisp/info.el
@@ -3838,7 +3838,7 @@ START is a regular expression which will match the
     beginning of the tokens delimited string.
 ALL is a regular expression with a single
     parenthesized subpattern which is the token to be
-    returned.  E.g. `{\(.*\)}' would return any string
+    returned.  E.g. `{(.*)}' would return any string
     enclosed in braces around POS.
 ERRORSTRING optional fourth argument, controls action on no match:
     nil: return nil
diff --git a/lisp/international/iso-cvt.el b/lisp/international/iso-cvt.el
index 61db03d9b76..d662699c17c 100644
--- a/lisp/international/iso-cvt.el
+++ b/lisp/international/iso-cvt.el
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
 (defvar iso-spanish-trans-tab
   '(
     ("~n" "ñ")
-    ("\([a-zA-Z]\)#" "\\1ñ")
+    ("([a-zA-Z])#" "\\1ñ")
     ("~N" "Ñ")
     ("\\([-a-zA-Z\"`]\\)\"u" "\\1ü")
     ("\\([-a-zA-Z\"`]\\)\"U" "\\1Ü")
diff --git a/lisp/international/mule-cmds.el b/lisp/international/mule-cmds.el
index 0c4c99c1d07..0904ff93e23 100644
--- a/lisp/international/mule-cmds.el
+++ b/lisp/international/mule-cmds.el
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@
 ;; very frequently while editing multilingual text.  Now we can use
 ;; only two such keys: "\C-\\" and "\C-^", but the latter is not
 ;; convenient because it requires shifting on most keyboards.  An
-;; alternative is "\C-\]" which is now bound to `abort-recursive-edit'
+;; alternative is "\C-]" which is now bound to `abort-recursive-edit'
 ;; but it won't be used that frequently.
 (define-key global-map "\C-\\" 'toggle-input-method)
 
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ A coding system that requires automatic detection of text+encoding
 
 To prefer, for instance, utf-8, say the following:
 
-  \(prefer-coding-system \\='utf-8)"
+  (prefer-coding-system \\='utf-8)"
   (interactive "zPrefer coding system: ")
   (if (not (and coding-system (coding-system-p coding-system)))
       (error "Invalid coding system `%s'" coding-system))
@@ -2413,12 +2413,12 @@ See `set-language-info-alist' for use in programs."
     ))
   "Alist of locale regexps vs the corresponding languages and coding systems.
 Each element has this form:
-  \(LOCALE-REGEXP LANG-ENV CODING-SYSTEM)
+  (LOCALE-REGEXP LANG-ENV CODING-SYSTEM)
 The first element whose LOCALE-REGEXP matches the start of a
 downcased locale specifies the LANG-ENV \(language environment)
 and CODING-SYSTEM corresponding to that locale.  If there is no
 appropriate language environment, the element may have this form:
-  \(LOCALE-REGEXP . LANG-ENV)
+  (LOCALE-REGEXP . LANG-ENV)
 In this case, LANG-ENV is one of generic language environments for an
 specific encoding such as \"Latin-1\" and \"UTF-8\".")
 
diff --git a/lisp/international/mule.el b/lisp/international/mule.el
index 946f793731b..af4c6e93e0b 100644
--- a/lisp/international/mule.el
+++ b/lisp/international/mule.el
@@ -665,8 +665,8 @@ without any conversions.
 
 VALUE is the EOL (end-of-line) format of the coding system.  It must be
 one of `unix', `dos', `mac'.  The symbol `unix' means Unix-like EOL
-\(i.e. a single LF character), `dos' means DOS-like EOL \(i.e. a sequence
-of CR followed by LF), and `mac' means Mac-like EOL \(i.e. a single CR).
+\(i.e., a single LF character), `dos' means DOS-like EOL \(i.e., a sequence
+of CR followed by LF), and `mac' means Mac-like EOL \(i.e., a single CR).
 If omitted, Emacs detects the EOL format automatically when decoding.
 
 `:charset-list' (required if `:coding-type' is `charset' or `shift-jis')
diff --git a/lisp/international/ogonek.el b/lisp/international/ogonek.el
index 01cbe1e5222..18ebf91d505 100644
--- a/lisp/international/ogonek.el
+++ b/lisp/international/ogonek.el
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 ;; Copyright (C) 1997-1998, 2001-2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 
-;; Author: W{\l}odek Bzyl
+;; Author: Włodek Bzyl
 ;;         Ryszard Kubiak
 ;; Maintainer: Ryszard Kubiak <rysiek@ipipan.gda.pl>
 ;; Keywords: i18n
diff --git a/lisp/international/titdic-cnv.el b/lisp/international/titdic-cnv.el
index 6a15bc41e50..f22b30e613b 100644
--- a/lisp/international/titdic-cnv.el
+++ b/lisp/international/titdic-cnv.el
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
   '(("chinese-4corner" "$(0(?-F(B")
     ("chinese-array30" "$(0#R#O(B")
     ("chinese-ccdospy" "$AKuF4(B"
-     "Pinyin base input method for Chinese charset GB2312 \(`chinese-gb2312').
+     "Pinyin base input method for Chinese charset GB2312 (`chinese-gb2312').
 
 Pinyin is the standard Roman transliteration method for Chinese.
 For the detail of Pinyin system, see the documentation of the input
diff --git a/lisp/language/japan-util.el b/lisp/language/japan-util.el
index 2871ec8f974..bdd8853d4dc 100644
--- a/lisp/language/japan-util.el
+++ b/lisp/language/japan-util.el
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ HANKAKU-KATAKANA belongs to `japanese-jisx0201-kana'.")
     (?$B!-(B ?') (?$B!.(B ?`) (?$B!0(B ?^) (?$B!2(B ?_) (?$B!<(B ?- ?(I0(B) (?$B!=(B ?-) (?$B!>(B ?-)
     (?$B!?(B ?/) (?$B!@(B ?\\) (?$B!A(B ?~)  (?$B!C(B ?|) (?$B!F(B ?`) (?$B!G(B ?') (?$B!H(B ?\") (?$B!I(B ?\")
     (?\$B!J(B ?\() (?\$B!K(B ?\)) (?\$B!N(B ?[) (?\$B!O(B ?]) (?\$B!P(B ?{) (?\$B!Q(B ?})
-    (?$B!R(B ?<) (?$B!S(B ?>) (?\$B!V(B nil ?\(I"(B) (?\$B!W(B nil ?\(I#(B) 
+    (?$B!R(B ?<) (?$B!S(B ?>) (?\$B!V(B nil ?\(I"(B) (?\$B!W(B nil ?\(I#(B)
     (?$B!\(B ?+) (?$B!](B ?-) (?$B!a(B ?=) (?$B!c(B ?<) (?$B!d(B ?>)
     (?$B!l(B ?') (?$B!m(B ?\") (?$B!o(B ?\\) (?$B!p(B ?$) (?$B!s(B ?%) (?$B!t(B ?#) (?$B!u(B ?&) (?$B!v(B ?*)
     (?$B!w(B ?@)
@@ -175,9 +175,9 @@ belongs to `japanese-jisx0208', ASCII belongs to `ascii'.")
 The argument may be a character or string.  The result has the same type.
 The argument object is not altered--the value is a copy.
 Optional argument HANKAKU t means to convert to `hankaku' Katakana
- \(`japanese-jisx0201-kana'), in which case return value
- may be a string even if OBJ is a character if two Katakanas are
- necessary to represent OBJ."
+\(`japanese-jisx0201-kana'), in which case return value
+may be a string even if OBJ is a character if two Katakanas are
+necessary to represent OBJ."
   (if (stringp obj)
       (japanese-string-conversion obj 'japanese-katakana-region hankaku)
     (or (get-char-code-property obj (if hankaku 'jisx0201 'katakana))
diff --git a/lisp/leim/quail/japanese.el b/lisp/leim/quail/japanese.el
index 831725f8065..7741697286b 100644
--- a/lisp/leim/quail/japanese.el
+++ b/lisp/leim/quail/japanese.el
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
     ("zk" "$B",(B")
     ("zl" "$B"*(B")
     ("z;" "$B!+(B") ("z:" "$B!,(B")
-    ("z\'" "$B!F(B") ("z\"" "$B!H(B")
+    ("z'" "$B!F(B") ("z\"" "$B!H(B")
 
     ("zx" [":-"]) ("zX" [":-)"])
     ("zc" "$B!;(B") ("zC" "$B!n(B")
diff --git a/lisp/leim/quail/latin-alt.el b/lisp/leim/quail/latin-alt.el
index 935a471dce8..a0697c48f7d 100644
--- a/lisp/leim/quail/latin-alt.el
+++ b/lisp/leim/quail/latin-alt.el
@@ -1321,7 +1321,7 @@ Doubling the postfix separates the letter and postfix: e.g. a\\='\\=' -> a\\='
  ("K" ?Ķ)
  ("l" ?ļ)
  ("L" ?Ļ)
- ("\'" ?“)
+ ("'" ?“)
  ("\"" ?„)
  ("z" ?ž)
  ("Z" ?Ž)
diff --git a/lisp/leim/quail/latin-ltx.el b/lisp/leim/quail/latin-ltx.el
index 3c84ba8348a..c63a758f198 100644
--- a/lisp/leim/quail/latin-ltx.el
+++ b/lisp/leim/quail/latin-ltx.el
@@ -664,7 +664,7 @@ system, including many technical ones.  Examples:
  ;; Probably not useful enough:
  ;; ("\\Telefon" ?☎)                  ; there are other possibilities
  ;; ("\\Radioactivity" ?☢)
- ;; ("\Biohazard" ?☣)
+ ;; ("\\Biohazard" ?☣)
  ;; ("\\Male" ?♂)
  ;; ("\\Female" ?♀)
  ;; ("\\Lightning" ?☇)
diff --git a/lisp/leim/quail/thai.el b/lisp/leim/quail/thai.el
index 7d0949ee529..02f8b78d76b 100644
--- a/lisp/leim/quail/thai.el
+++ b/lisp/leim/quail/thai.el
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ The difference from the ordinal Thai keyboard:
   "๑" "ฤ" "ฺ" "ฉ" "ฏ" "ฎ" "โ" "ฌ"       ; @ .. G
   "็" "ณ" "๋" "ษ" "ศ" "?" "์" "ฯ" ; H .. O
   "ญ" "๐" "ฑ" "ฆ" "ธ" "๊" "ฮ" "\""        ; P .. W
-  "\)" "ํ" "\(" "บ" "ฃ" "ล" "ู" "๘" ; X .. _
+  ")" "ํ" "(" "บ" "ฃ" "ล" "ู" "๘"   ; X .. _
   "_" "ฟ" "ิ" "แ" "ก" "ำ" "ด" "เ" ; ` .. g
   "้" "ร" "่" "า" "ส" "ท" "ื" "น"       ; h .. o
   "ย" "ๆ" "พ" "ห" "ะ" "ี" "อ" "ไ"       ; p .. w
diff --git a/lisp/lpr.el b/lisp/lpr.el
index 24c325cb263..11cc8f86cfd 100644
--- a/lisp/lpr.el
+++ b/lisp/lpr.el
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 (defcustom printer-name
   (and (eq system-type 'ms-dos) "PRN")
   "The name of a local printer to which data is sent for printing.
-\(Note that PostScript files are sent to `ps-printer-name', which see.\)
+\(Note that PostScript files are sent to `ps-printer-name', which see.)
 
 On Unix-like systems, a string value should be a name understood by
 lpr's -P option; otherwise the value should be nil.
diff --git a/lisp/mail/feedmail.el b/lisp/mail/feedmail.el
index 368e2ab8982..aec93db3fa6 100644
--- a/lisp/mail/feedmail.el
+++ b/lisp/mail/feedmail.el
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ shuttled robotically onward."
 If a positive number, it's a timeout before sending.  If a negative
 number, it's a timeout before not sending.  This will not work if your
 version of Emacs doesn't include the function `y-or-n-p-with-timeout'
-\(e.g., some versions of XEmacs\)."
+\(e.g., some versions of XEmacs)."
   :version "24.1"
   :group 'feedmail-misc
   :type '(choice (const nil) integer)
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ version of Emacs doesn't include the function `y-or-n-p-with-timeout'
   "If non-nil remove Bcc: lines from the message headers.
 In any case, the Bcc: lines do participate in the composed address
 list.  You may want to leave them in if you're using sendmail
-\(see `feedmail-buffer-eating-function'\)."
+\(see `feedmail-buffer-eating-function')."
   :group 'feedmail-headers
   :type 'boolean
   )
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ list.  You may want to leave them in if you're using sendmail
   "If non-nil remove Resent-Bcc: lines from the message headers.
 In any case, the Resent-Bcc: lines do participate in the composed
 address list.  You may want to leave them in if you're using sendmail
-\(see `feedmail-buffer-eating-function'\)."
+\(see `feedmail-buffer-eating-function')."
   :group 'feedmail-headers
   :type 'boolean
   )
@@ -645,7 +645,7 @@ is not an option for many users.  As this is the default behavior of most
 sendmail installations, one can mostly only wish it were otherwise.  If feedmail
 believes the sendmail program will sell you out this way, it won't use the \"-f\"
 option when calling sendmail.  If it doesn't think sendmail will sell you out,
-it will use the \"-f\" \(since it is a handy feature\).  You control what
+it will use the \"-f\" \(since it is a handy feature).  You control what
 feedmail thinks with this variable.  The default is nil, meaning that feedmail
 will believe that sendmail will sell you out."
   :version "24.1"
@@ -861,7 +861,7 @@ as well."
   "User-supplied specification for a crude form of mailmerge capability.
 When spraying is enabled, feedmail composes a list of envelope addresses.
 In turn, `feedmail-spray-this-address' is temporarily set to each address
-\(stripped of any comments and angle brackets\) and a function is called which
+\(stripped of any comments and angle brackets) and a function is called which
 fiddles message headers according to this variable.  See the documentation for
 `feedmail-fiddle-plex-blurb', for an overview of fiddle-plex data structures.
 
@@ -1313,7 +1313,7 @@ of `buffer-file-name' to nil because that will defeat feedmail's file
 management features.  Instead, arrange for this variable to be set to
 the value of `buffer-file-name' before setting that to nil.  An easy way
 to do that would be with defadvice on `mail-send' \(undoing the
-assignments in a later advice\).
+assignments in a later advice).
 
 feedmail will pretend that `buffer-file-name', if nil, has the value
 assigned of `feedmail-queue-buffer-file-name' and carry out its normal
@@ -1507,7 +1507,7 @@ The default action is an anonymous function which gets rid of the file
 from the queue directory.  With a non-nil second argument, a brief
 message is give for each file deleted.  You could replace this
 function, for example, to archive all of your sent messages someplace
-\(though there are better ways to get that particular result\)."
+\(though there are better ways to get that particular result)."
   :group 'feedmail-queue
   :type 'function
   )
@@ -1715,7 +1715,7 @@ for ACTION (default is `supplement'):
                 VAL-LIKE is not used.  Else, if VAL-LIKE is a function,
                 it is called with two arguments: NAME and the
                 aggregate like values.  Else, if VAL-LIKE is a string, it is
-                used as a format string where a single \%s will be
+                used as a format string where a single %s will be
                 replaced by the aggregate values of like fields.
 
                 VAL-PRE, the results of using VAL-LIKE, and VAL-POST
@@ -1745,7 +1745,8 @@ applied to a file after you've just read it from disk: for example, a
 feedmail FQM message file from a queue.  You could use something like
 this:
 
-\(setq auto-mode-alist \(cons \\='\(\"\\\\.fqm$\" . feedmail-vm-mail-mode\) auto-mode-alist\)\)
+\(setq auto-mode-alist
+      (cons \\='(\"\\\\.fqm$\" . feedmail-vm-mail-mode) auto-mode-alist))
 "
   (feedmail-say-debug ">in-> feedmail-vm-mail-mode")
   (let ((the-buf (current-buffer)))
@@ -1894,26 +1895,26 @@ You're dispatching a message and feedmail queuing is enabled.
 Typing ? again will normally scroll this help buffer.
 
 Choices:
-   q  QUEUE        for later sending \(via feedmail-run-the-queue\)
+   q  QUEUE        for later sending (via feedmail-run-the-queue)
    Q  QUEUE!       like \"q\", but always make a new file
-   i  IMMEDIATELY  send this \(but not the other queued messages\)
+   i  IMMEDIATELY  send this (but not the other queued messages)
    I  IMMEDIATELY! like \"i\", but skip following confirmation prompt
    d  DRAFT        queue in the draft directory
    D  DRAFT!       like \"d\", but always make a new file
-   e  EDIT         return to the message edit buffer \(don't send or queue\)
-   *  SPRAY        toggle spray mode \(individual message transmissions\)
-   >  SCROLL UP    scroll message up \(toward end of message\)
-   <  SCROLL DOWN  scroll message down \(toward beginning of message\)
+   e  EDIT         return to the message edit buffer (don't send or queue)
+   *  SPRAY        toggle spray mode (individual message transmissions)
+   >  SCROLL UP    scroll message up (toward end of message)
+   <  SCROLL DOWN  scroll message down (toward beginning of message)
    ?  HELP         show or scroll this help buffer
 
 Synonyms:
-   s  SEND         immediately \(same as \"i\"\)
-   S  SEND!        immediately \(same as \"I\"\)
-   r  ROUGH        draft \(same as \"d\"\)
-   R  ROUGH!       draft \(same as \"D\"\)
-   n  NOPE         didn't mean it \(same as \"e\"\)
-   y  YUP          do the default behavior \(same as \"C-m\"\)
-  SPC SCROLL UP    \(same as \">\"\)
+   s  SEND         immediately (same as \"i\")
+   S  SEND!        immediately (same as \"I\")
+   r  ROUGH        draft (same as \"d\")
+   R  ROUGH!       draft (same as \"D\")
+   n  NOPE         didn't mean it (same as \"e\")
+   y  YUP          do the default behavior (same as \"C-m\")
+  SPC SCROLL UP    (same as \">\")
 
 The user-configurable default is currently \""))
         (princ d-string)
diff --git a/lisp/mail/mail-extr.el b/lisp/mail/mail-extr.el
index 5164ea1bfed..a7057ca21c8 100644
--- a/lisp/mail/mail-extr.el
+++ b/lisp/mail/mail-extr.el
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ by translating things like \"foo!bar!baz@host\" into \"baz@bar.UUCP\"."
 ;; Matches an embedded or leading nickname that should be removed.
 ;; (defconst mail-extr-nickname-pattern
 ;;   (purecopy
-;;    (format "\\([ .]\\|\\`\\)[\"'`\[\(]\\([ .%s]+\\)[\]\"'\)] "
+;;    (format "\\([ .]\\|\\`\\)[\"'`[(]\\([ .%s]+\\)[]\"')] "
 ;;            mail-extr-all-letters)))
 
 ;; Matches the occurrence of a generational name suffix, and the last
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ by translating things like \"foo!bar!baz@host\" into \"baz@bar.UUCP\"."
 ;; Matches a variety of trailing comments not including comma-delimited
 ;; comments.
 (defconst mail-extr-trailing-comment-start-pattern
-  (purecopy " [-{]\\|--\\|[+@#></\;]"))
+  (purecopy " [-{]\\|--\\|[+@#></;]"))
 
 ;; Matches a name (not an initial).
 ;; This doesn't force a word boundary at the end because sometimes a
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ by translating things like \"foo!bar!baz@host\" into \"baz@bar.UUCP\"."
 ;; mode from GB back to ASCII.  (Note that the escape-from-GB code '~}'
 ;; ($7E7D) is outside the defined GB range.)
 (defconst mail-extr-hz-embedded-gb-encoded-chinese-pattern
-  (purecopy "~{\\([^~].\\|~[^\}]\\)+~}"))
+  (purecopy "~{\\([^~].\\|~[^}]\\)+~}"))
 
 ;; The leading optional lowercase letters are for a bastardized version of
 ;; the encoding, as is the optional nature of the final slash.
@@ -543,8 +543,8 @@ by translating things like \"foo!bar!baz@host\" into \"baz@bar.UUCP\"."
     (?\t " ")
     (?\r " ")
     (?\n " ")
-    (?\( "\(\)")
-    (?\) "\)\(")
+    (?\( "()")
+    (?\) ")(")
     (?\\ "\\"))
    (mail-extr-address-domain-literal-syntax-table
     (?\000 ?\377 "w")
@@ -553,8 +553,8 @@ by translating things like \"foo!bar!baz@host\" into \"baz@bar.UUCP\"."
     (?\t " ")
     (?\r " ")
     (?\n " ")
-    (?\[ "\(\]")                        ;??????
-    (?\] "\)\[")                        ;??????
+    (?\[ "(]")                  ;??????
+    (?\] ")[")                  ;??????
     (?\\ "\\"))
    (mail-extr-address-text-comment-syntax-table
     (?\000 ?\377 "w")
@@ -563,16 +563,16 @@ by translating things like \"foo!bar!baz@host\" into \"baz@bar.UUCP\"."
     (?\t " ")
     (?\r " ")
     (?\n " ")
-    (?\( "\(\)")
-    (?\) "\)\(")
-    (?\[ "\(\]")
-    (?\] "\)\[")
-    (?\{ "\(\}")
-    (?\} "\)\{")
+    (?\( "()")
+    (?\) ")(")
+    (?\[ "(]")
+    (?\] ")[")
+    (?\{ "(}")
+    (?\} "){")
     (?\\ "\\")
     (?\" "\"")
-    ;; (?\' "\)\`")
-    ;; (?\` "\(\'")
+    ;; (?\' ")`")
+    ;; (?\` "('")
     )
    (mail-extr-address-text-syntax-table
     (?\000 ?\177 ".")
diff --git a/lisp/mail/mailclient.el b/lisp/mail/mailclient.el
index 2fb944bdc76..5bc1d3129ea 100644
--- a/lisp/mail/mailclient.el
+++ b/lisp/mail/mailclient.el
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ supported.  Defaults to non-nil on Windows, nil otherwise."
                        recp)))
                (setq first nil))
              (split-string
-              (mail-strip-quoted-names field) "\, *"))
+              (mail-strip-quoted-names field) ", *"))
             result)))))
 
 (declare-function clipboard-kill-ring-save "menu-bar.el"
diff --git a/lisp/mail/mspools.el b/lisp/mail/mspools.el
index ddd5414de76..f22222ad552 100644
--- a/lisp/mail/mspools.el
+++ b/lisp/mail/mspools.el
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@ Buffer is not displayed if SHOW is non-nil."
 ;; to file name.
 ;(defun get-folder-from-spool-safe (name)
 ;  "Return the folder name corresponding to the spool file NAME."
-;  (if (string-match "^\\(.*\\)\.spool$" name)
+;  (if (string-match "^\\(.*\\)\\.spool$" name)
 ;      (substring name (match-beginning 1) (match-end 1))
 ;    (error "Could not extract folder name from spool name %s" name)))
 
diff --git a/lisp/mail/rmail.el b/lisp/mail/rmail.el
index 67b04b56968..8e38564b14a 100644
--- a/lisp/mail/rmail.el
+++ b/lisp/mail/rmail.el
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ Currently known variants are 'emacs and 'mailutils."
 If non-nil, this variable is used to identify the correspondent
 when receiving new mail.  If it matches the address of the sender,
 the recipient is taken as correspondent of a mail.
-If nil \(default value\), your `user-login-name' and `user-mail-address'
+If nil \(default value), your `user-login-name' and `user-mail-address'
 are used to exclude yourself as correspondent.
 
 Usually you don't have to set this variable, except if you collect mails
@@ -4778,7 +4778,7 @@ With prefix argument N moves forward N messages with these labels.
 
 ;;;***
 
-;;;### (autoloads nil "rmailmm" "rmailmm.el" "e5b89eed8afb278cc8881f2208382c7c")
+;;;### (autoloads nil "rmailmm" "rmailmm.el" "36f518e036612a33eb436cb267fd39c7")
 ;;; Generated autoloads from rmailmm.el
 
 (autoload 'rmail-mime "rmailmm" "\
@@ -4922,7 +4922,7 @@ SENDERS is a regular expression.
 
 ;;;***
 
-;;;### (autoloads nil "undigest" "undigest.el" "912d4d3bf762991df5d4d02f42358025")
+;;;### (autoloads nil "undigest" "undigest.el" "c0ddfad4fe34ef9c1e790c2cc72b571d")
 ;;; Generated autoloads from undigest.el
 
 (autoload 'undigestify-rmail-message "undigest" "\
diff --git a/lisp/mail/rmailmm.el b/lisp/mail/rmailmm.el
index 3dd57b9bab7..16f62154fbc 100644
--- a/lisp/mail/rmailmm.el
+++ b/lisp/mail/rmailmm.el
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ The value is usually nil, and bound to non-nil while inserting
 MIME entities.")
 
 (defvar rmail-mime-searching nil
-  "Bound to T inside `rmail-search-mime-message' to suppress expensive 
+  "Bound to T inside `rmail-search-mime-message' to suppress expensive
 operations such as HTML decoding")
 
 ;;; MIME-entity object
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ A MIME-entity is a vector of 10 elements:
 TYPE and DISPOSITION correspond to MIME headers Content-Type and
 Content-Disposition respectively, and have this format:
 
-  \(VALUE (ATTRIBUTE . VALUE) (ATTRIBUTE . VALUE) ...)
+  (VALUE (ATTRIBUTE . VALUE) (ATTRIBUTE . VALUE) ...)
 
 Each VALUE is a string and each ATTRIBUTE is a string.
 
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
 The corresponding TYPE argument must be:
 
 \(\"multipart/mixed\"
-  \(\"boundary\" . \"----=_NextPart_000_0104_01C617E4.BDEC4C40\"))
+  (\"boundary\" . \"----=_NextPart_000_0104_01C617E4.BDEC4C40\"))
 
 TRANSFER-ENCODING corresponds to MIME header
 Content-Transfer-Encoding, and is a lower-case string.
@@ -1119,11 +1119,11 @@ are the values of the respective parsed headers.  The latter should
 be lower-case.  The parsed headers for CONTENT-TYPE and CONTENT-DISPOSITION
 have the form
 
-  \(VALUE . ALIST)
+  (VALUE . ALIST)
 
 In other words:
 
-  \(VALUE (ATTRIBUTE . VALUE) (ATTRIBUTE . VALUE) ...)
+  (VALUE (ATTRIBUTE . VALUE) (ATTRIBUTE . VALUE) ...)
 
 VALUE is a string and ATTRIBUTE is a symbol.
 
@@ -1135,7 +1135,7 @@ Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
 The parsed header value:
 
 \(\"multipart/mixed\"
-  \(\"boundary\" . \"----=_NextPart_000_0104_01C617E4.BDEC4C40\"))"
+  (\"boundary\" . \"----=_NextPart_000_0104_01C617E4.BDEC4C40\"))"
   ;; Handle the content transfer encodings we know.  Unknown transfer
   ;; encodings will be passed on to the various handlers.
   (cond ((string= content-transfer-encoding "base64")
diff --git a/lisp/man.el b/lisp/man.el
index 23b2110a4ec..fbfa6f0c7f7 100644
--- a/lisp/man.el
+++ b/lisp/man.el
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ This regular expression should start with a `^' character.")
   "Regular expression describing a reference to another manpage.")
 
 (defvar Man-apropos-regexp
-  (concat "\\\[\\(" Man-name-regexp "\\)\\\][ \t]*(\\(" Man-section-regexp "\\))")
+  (concat "\\[\\(" Man-name-regexp "\\)\\][ \t]*(\\(" Man-section-regexp "\\))")
   "Regular expression describing a reference to manpages in \"man -k output\".")
 
 (defvar Man-synopsis-regexp "SYNOPSIS"
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-alias.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-alias.el
index de0038a306a..04e9fef59eb 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-alias.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-alias.el
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ string is converted to lower case."
 
 (defun mh-alias-insert-file (&optional alias)
   "Return filename which should be used to add ALIAS.
-The value of the option `mh-alias-insert-file' is used if non-nil\;
+The value of the option `mh-alias-insert-file' is used if non-nil;
 otherwise the value of the \"Aliasfile:\" profile component is used.
 If the alias already exists, try to return the name of the file that
 contains it."
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-comp.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-comp.el
index 700d22c3862..129e6857a4c 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-comp.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-comp.el
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ RETURN-ACTION and any additional arguments are IGNORED."
 
 When you are all through editing a message, you send it with this
 command. You can give a prefix argument ARG to monitor the first stage
-of the delivery\; this output can be found in a buffer called \"*MH-E
+of the delivery; this output can be found in a buffer called \"*MH-E
 Mail Delivery*\".
 
 The hook `mh-before-send-letter-hook' is run at the beginning of
@@ -1064,7 +1064,7 @@ The versions of MH-E, Emacs, and MH are shown."
                          (string-match "[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\(\\.[0-9]+\\)?"
                                        emacs-version)
                          (match-string 0 emacs-version))
-                        ((string-match "[0-9.]*\\( +\([ a-z]+[0-9]+\)\\)?"
+                        ((string-match "[0-9.]*\\( +([ a-z]+[0-9]+)\\)?"
                                        emacs-version)
                          (match-string 0 emacs-version))
                         (t (format "%s.%s" emacs-major-version
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-e.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-e.el
index 7cdf67cc150..96fe7d797c2 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-e.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-e.el
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
                "\\(defgroup-mh\\)"
                "\\)\\>"
                ;; Any whitespace and defined object.
-               "[ \t'\(]*"
+               "[ \t'(]*"
                "\\(setf[ \t]+\\sw+)\\|\\sw+\\)?")
       (1 font-lock-keyword-face)
       (7 (cond ((match-beginning 2) font-lock-function-name-face)
@@ -1834,7 +1834,7 @@ message without line wrapping."
   "Default method to use in security tags.
 
 This option is used to select between a variety of mail security
-mechanisms. The default is \"PGP (MIME)\" if it is supported\;
+mechanisms. The default is \"PGP (MIME)\" if it is supported;
 otherwise, the default is \"None\". Other mechanisms include
 vanilla \"PGP\" and \"S/MIME\".
 
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-folder.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-folder.el
index ae5e2bf1f3b..d21720ebe55 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-folder.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-folder.el
@@ -755,7 +755,7 @@ You can enter the message NUMBER either before or after typing
 
 In a program, optional non-nil second argument NO-ERROR-IF-NO-MESSAGE
 means return nil instead of signaling an error if message does not
-exist\; in this case, the cursor is positioned near where the message
+exist; in this case, the cursor is positioned near where the message
 would have been. Non-nil third argument DONT-SHOW means not to show
 the message."
   (interactive "NGo to message: ")
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-letter.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-letter.el
index de2b2cf7fd9..7a56427027e 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-letter.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-letter.el
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@ one space."
 (defun mh-letter-confirm-address ()
   "Flash alias expansion.
 
-Addresses are separated by a comma\; when you press the comma,
+Addresses are separated by a comma; when you press the comma,
 this command flashes the alias expansion in the minibuffer if
 `mh-alias-flash-on-comma' is turned on."
   (interactive)
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-mime.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-mime.el
index b69f956d5c2..a1c0bebd289 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-mime.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-mime.el
@@ -1715,7 +1715,7 @@ buffer, while END defaults to the end of the buffer."
 (defun mh-minibuffer-read-type (filename &optional default)
   "Return the content type associated with the given FILENAME.
 If the \"file\" command exists and recognizes the given file,
-then its value is returned\; otherwise, the user is prompted for
+then its value is returned; otherwise, the user is prompted for
 a type (see `mailcap-mime-types').
 Optional argument DEFAULT is returned if a type isn't entered."
   (mailcap-parse-mimetypes)
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-search.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-search.el
index 7d066b0b8dd..b6eef4ecfc6 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-search.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-search.el
@@ -1247,7 +1247,7 @@ is used to search."
   (prog1
       (block nil
         (when (eobp) (return nil))
-        (when (search-forward-regexp "^\+" (mh-line-end-position) t)
+        (when (search-forward-regexp "^\\+" (mh-line-end-position) t)
           (setq mh-index-pick-folder
                 (buffer-substring-no-properties (mh-line-beginning-position)
                                                 (mh-line-end-position)))
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-utils.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-utils.el
index 643674a4523..37fd1651c5e 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-utils.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-utils.el
@@ -515,7 +515,7 @@ they will not be returned."
     ;; folder is specified, ensure it is nil to avoid adding the
     ;; folder to the folder-list and adding a slash to it.
     (when folder
-      (setq folder (mh-replace-regexp-in-string "^\+" "" folder))
+      (setq folder (mh-replace-regexp-in-string "^\\+" "" folder))
       (setq folder (mh-replace-regexp-in-string "/+$" "" folder))
       (if (equal folder "")
           (setq folder nil)))
diff --git a/lisp/mh-e/mh-xface.el b/lisp/mh-e/mh-xface.el
index b7b7febca26..d48a8b3d152 100644
--- a/lisp/mh-e/mh-xface.el
+++ b/lisp/mh-e/mh-xface.el
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ filenames.  In addition, replaces * with %2a. See URL
 `http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/shell/reference/ifaces/iitemnamelimits/GetValidCharacters.asp'."
   (format "%s/%s.png" mh-x-image-cache-directory
           (mh-replace-regexp-in-string
-           "\*" "%2a"
+           "\\*" "%2a"
            (mh-url-hexify-string
             (with-temp-buffer
               (insert url)
diff --git a/lisp/msb.el b/lisp/msb.el
index 0351bda0e42..fbc130174b8 100644
--- a/lisp/msb.el
+++ b/lisp/msb.el
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ If the argument is left out or nil, then the current buffer is considered."
 (defun msb--create-function-info (menu-cond-elt)
   "Create a vector from an element MENU-COND-ELT of `msb-menu-cond'.
 This takes the form:
-\[BUFFER-LIST-VARIABLE CONDITION MENU-SORT-KEY MENU-TITLE ITEM-HANDLER SORTER]
+[BUFFER-LIST-VARIABLE CONDITION MENU-SORT-KEY MENU-TITLE ITEM-HANDLER SORTER]
 See `msb-menu-cond' for a description of its elements."
   (let* ((list-symbol (make-symbol "-msb-buffer-list"))
          (tmp-ih (and (> (length menu-cond-elt) 3)
diff --git a/lisp/net/ange-ftp.el b/lisp/net/ange-ftp.el
index bb8351437d7..4f7fa3b8f39 100644
--- a/lisp/net/ange-ftp.el
+++ b/lisp/net/ange-ftp.el
@@ -681,7 +681,7 @@
   '("\\`/\\(\\([^/:]*\\)@\\)?\\([^@/:]*[^@/:.]\\):\\(.*\\)" . (3 2 4))
   "Format of a fully expanded remote file name.
 
-This is a list of the form \(REGEXP HOST USER NAME\),
+This is a list of the form \(REGEXP HOST USER NAME),
 where REGEXP is a regular expression matching
 the full remote name, and HOST, USER, and NAME are the numbers of
 parenthesized expressions in REGEXP for the components (in that order)."
@@ -1366,8 +1366,8 @@ only return the directory part of FILE."
     (goto-char end)))
 
 ;; Read in ~/.netrc, if one exists.  If ~/.netrc file exists and has
-;; the correct permissions then extract the \`machine\', \`login\',
-;; \`password\' and \`account\' information from within.
+;; the correct permissions then extract the machine, login,
+;; password and account information from within.
 
 (defun ange-ftp-parse-netrc ()
   ;; We set this before actually doing it to avoid the possibility
@@ -2511,7 +2511,7 @@ Works by doing a pwd and examining the directory syntax."
 ;;;; Remote file and directory listing support.
 ;;;; ------------------------------------------------------------
 
-;; Returns whether HOST's FTP server doesn't like \'ls\' or \'dir\' commands
+;; Returns whether HOST's FTP server doesn't like 'ls' or 'dir' commands
 ;; to take switch arguments.
 (defun ange-ftp-dumb-unix-host (host)
   (and host ange-ftp-dumb-unix-host-regexp
diff --git a/lisp/net/dbus.el b/lisp/net/dbus.el
index a7efaf81dbc..e8e6bc0cb6a 100644
--- a/lisp/net/dbus.el
+++ b/lisp/net/dbus.el
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ Example:
   \"org.freedesktop.Hal.Device\" \"GetPropertyString\" \\='message
   \"system.kernel.machine\")
 
-  => \(:serial :system 2)
+  => (:serial :system 2)
 
   -| i686"
 
@@ -656,8 +656,8 @@ Example:
   :system \"org.freedesktop.Hal\" \"/org/freedesktop/Hal/Manager\"
   \"org.freedesktop.Hal.Manager\" \"DeviceAdded\" \\='my-signal-handler)
 
-  => \(\(:signal :system \"org.freedesktop.Hal.Manager\" \"DeviceAdded\")
-      \(\"org.freedesktop.Hal\" \"/org/freedesktop/Hal/Manager\" my-signal-handler))
+  => ((:signal :system \"org.freedesktop.Hal.Manager\" \"DeviceAdded\")
+      (\"org.freedesktop.Hal\" \"/org/freedesktop/Hal/Manager\" my-signal-handler))
 
 `dbus-register-signal' returns an object, which can be used in
 `dbus-unregister-object' for removing the registration."
@@ -1143,7 +1143,7 @@ Note, that this autoloads SERVICE if it is not running yet.  If
 it shall be checked whether SERVICE is already running, one shall
 apply
 
-  \(member service \(dbus-list-known-names bus))"
+  (member service \(dbus-list-known-names bus))"
   ;; "Ping" raises a D-Bus error if SERVICE does not exist.
   ;; Otherwise, it returns silently with nil.
   (condition-case nil
@@ -1631,22 +1631,22 @@ name, and the cdr is the list of properties as returned by
 
 \(dbus-get-all-managed-objects :session \"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon\" \"/\")
 
-  => \(\(\"/org/gnome/SettingsDaemon/MediaKeys\"
-       \(\"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.MediaKeys\")
-       \(\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Peer\")
-       \(\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Introspectable\")
-       \(\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties\")
-       \(\"org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager\"))
-      \(\"/org/gnome/SettingsDaemon/Power\"
-       \(\"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.Power.Keyboard\")
-       \(\"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.Power.Screen\")
-       \(\"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.Power\"
-        \(\"Icon\" . \". GThemedIcon battery-full-charged-symbolic \")
-        \(\"Tooltip\" . \"Laptop battery is charged\"))
-       \(\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Peer\")
-       \(\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Introspectable\")
-       \(\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties\")
-       \(\"org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager\"))
+  => ((\"/org/gnome/SettingsDaemon/MediaKeys\"
+       (\"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.MediaKeys\")
+       (\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Peer\")
+       (\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Introspectable\")
+       (\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties\")
+       (\"org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager\"))
+      (\"/org/gnome/SettingsDaemon/Power\"
+       (\"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.Power.Keyboard\")
+       (\"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.Power.Screen\")
+       (\"org.gnome.SettingsDaemon.Power\"
+        (\"Icon\" . \". GThemedIcon battery-full-charged-symbolic \")
+        (\"Tooltip\" . \"Laptop battery is charged\"))
+       (\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Peer\")
+       (\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Introspectable\")
+       (\"org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties\")
+       (\"org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager\"))
       ...)
 
 If possible, \"org.freedesktop.DBus.ObjectManager.GetManagedObjects\"
diff --git a/lisp/net/eww.el b/lisp/net/eww.el
index f2f5ecb8e88..d44890f1b09 100644
--- a/lisp/net/eww.el
+++ b/lisp/net/eww.el
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ word(s) will be searched for via `eww-search-prefix'."
                  ;; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free software
                  (string-match "\\`[A-Za-z_]+\\.[A-Za-z._]+/" url)
                  (and (= (length (split-string url)) 1)
-                      (or (and (not (string-match-p "\\`[\"\'].*[\"\']\\'" url))
+                      (or (and (not (string-match-p "\\`[\"'].*[\"']\\'" url))
                                (> (length (split-string url "[.:]")) 1))
                           (string-match eww-local-regex url))))
              (progn
diff --git a/lisp/net/gnutls.el b/lisp/net/gnutls.el
index 418796a89c9..479c9a579f3 100644
--- a/lisp/net/gnutls.el
+++ b/lisp/net/gnutls.el
@@ -111,9 +111,9 @@ specifying a port number to connect to.
 
 Usage example:
 
-  \(with-temp-buffer
-    \(open-gnutls-stream \"tls\"
-                        \(current-buffer)
+  (with-temp-buffer
+    (open-gnutls-stream \"tls\"
+                        (current-buffer)
                         \"your server goes here\"
                         \"imaps\"))
 
diff --git a/lisp/net/net-utils.el b/lisp/net/net-utils.el
index eaf1d7e22c4..c6d40b62415 100644
--- a/lisp/net/net-utils.el
+++ b/lisp/net/net-utils.el
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ This variable is only used if the variable
   :group 'net-utils
   :type  '(repeat string))
 
-(defcustom smbclient-prompt-regexp "^smb: \>"
+(defcustom smbclient-prompt-regexp "^smb: >"
   "Regexp which matches the smbclient program's prompt.
 
 This variable is only used if the variable
diff --git a/lisp/net/newst-backend.el b/lisp/net/newst-backend.el
index 6c80e627477..072fd015b60 100644
--- a/lisp/net/newst-backend.el
+++ b/lisp/net/newst-backend.el
@@ -343,8 +343,8 @@ pattern-list is checked: The new headline will be marked as AGE
 if REGEXP matches the headline's TITLE-OR-DESCRIPTION.
 
 If, for example, `newsticker-auto-mark-filter-list' looks like
- \((slashdot (\\='old \\='title \"^Forget me!$\") (\\='immortal \\='title \"Read me\")
-  \(\\='immortal \\='all \"important\"))))
+ ((slashdot (\\='old \\='title \"^Forget me!$\") (\\='immortal \\='title \"Read me\")
+  (\\='immortal \\='all \"important\"))))
 
 then all articles from slashdot are marked as old if they have
 the title \"Forget me!\".  All articles with a title containing
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ If non-nil only the current headline is visible.")
   "Return guid of ITEM."
   (newsticker--guid-to-string (assoc 'guid (newsticker--extra item))))
 (defsubst newsticker--enclosure (item)
-  "Return enclosure element of ITEM in the form \(...FIXME...\) or nil."
+  "Return enclosure element of ITEM in the form (...FIXME...) or nil."
   (let ((enclosure (assoc 'enclosure (newsticker--extra item))))
     (if enclosure
         (xml-node-attributes enclosure))))
diff --git a/lisp/net/newst-reader.el b/lisp/net/newst-reader.el
index be4179e4b11..105b36e14a3 100644
--- a/lisp/net/newst-reader.el
+++ b/lisp/net/newst-reader.el
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ for formatting."
 (defun newsticker--image-read (feed-name-symbol disabled &optional max-height)
   "Read the cached image for FEED-NAME-SYMBOL from disk.
 If DISABLED is non-nil the image will be converted to a disabled look
-\(unless `newsticker-enable-logo-manipulations' is not t\).
+\(unless `newsticker-enable-logo-manipulations' is not t).
 Optional argument MAX-HEIGHT specifies the maximal image height.
 Return the image."
   (let ((image-name (concat (newsticker--images-dir)
diff --git a/lisp/net/rcirc.el b/lisp/net/rcirc.el
index df0635066cc..d58f3ebd4ea 100644
--- a/lisp/net/rcirc.el
+++ b/lisp/net/rcirc.el
@@ -2600,7 +2600,7 @@ If ARG is given, opens the URL in a new browser window."
                    (cond ((rcirc-channel-p target)
                           target)
                          ;;; -ChanServ- [#gnu] Welcome...
-                         ((string-match "\\[\\(#[^\] ]+\\)\\]" message)
+                         ((string-match "\\[\\(#[^] ]+\\)\\]" message)
                           (match-string 1 message))
                          (sender
                           (if (string= sender (rcirc-server-name process))
diff --git a/lisp/net/rlogin.el b/lisp/net/rlogin.el
index da46ec3f670..fead60eb8ab 100644
--- a/lisp/net/rlogin.el
+++ b/lisp/net/rlogin.el
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ other arguments for `rlogin'.
 Input is sent line-at-a-time to the remote connection.
 
 Communication with the remote host is recorded in a buffer `*rlogin-HOST*'
-\(or `*rlogin-USER@HOST*' if the remote username differs\).
+\(or `*rlogin-USER@HOST*' if the remote username differs).
 If a prefix argument is given and the buffer `*rlogin-HOST*' already exists,
 a new buffer with a different connection will be made.
 
diff --git a/lisp/net/secrets.el b/lisp/net/secrets.el
index c4102a18cef..5e0274029f1 100644
--- a/lisp/net/secrets.el
+++ b/lisp/net/secrets.el
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ If successful, return the object path of the collection."
 ATTRIBUTES are key-value pairs.  The keys are keyword symbols,
 starting with a colon.  Example:
 
-  \(secrets-search-items \"Tramp collection\" :user \"joe\")
+  (secrets-search-items \"Tramp collection\" :user \"joe\")
 
 The object labels of the found items are returned as list."
   (let ((collection-path (secrets-unlock-collection collection))
@@ -635,8 +635,8 @@ The object labels of the found items are returned as list."
 ATTRIBUTES are key-value pairs set for the created item.  The
 keys are keyword symbols, starting with a colon.  Example:
 
-  \(secrets-create-item \"Tramp collection\" \"item\" \"geheim\"
-   :method \"sudo\" :user \"joe\" :host \"remote-host\"\)
+  (secrets-create-item \"Tramp collection\" \"item\" \"geheim\"
+   :method \"sudo\" :user \"joe\" :host \"remote-host\")
 
 The object path of the created item is returned."
   (unless (member item (secrets-list-items collection))
diff --git a/lisp/net/soap-client.el b/lisp/net/soap-client.el
index ada2767a4d1..509c021c644 100644
--- a/lisp/net/soap-client.el
+++ b/lisp/net/soap-client.el
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ namespace of LOCAL-NAME."
   "Convert LOCAL-NAME into a fully qualified name.
 A fully qualified name is a cons of the namespace name and the
 name of the element itself.  For example \"xsd:string\" is
-converted to \(\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\" . \"string\"\).
+converted to \(\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\" . \"string\").
 
 The USE-TNS argument specifies what to do when LOCAL-NAME has no
 namespace tag.  If USE-TNS is non-nil, the `soap-target-xmlns'
diff --git a/lisp/net/tramp-adb.el b/lisp/net/tramp-adb.el
index 2a7f1a52f13..595e0ef6722 100644
--- a/lisp/net/tramp-adb.el
+++ b/lisp/net/tramp-adb.el
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ It is used for TCP/IP devices."
 
 ;;;###tramp-autoload
 (defcustom tramp-adb-prompt
-  "^\\(?:[[:digit:]]*|?\\)?\\(?:[[:alnum:]\e;\[]*@[[:alnum:]]*[^#\\$]*\\)?[#\\$][[:space:]]"
+  "^\\(?:[[:digit:]]*|?\\)?\\(?:[[:alnum:]\e;[]*@[[:alnum:]]*[^#\\$]*\\)?[#\\$][[:space:]]"
   "Regexp used as prompt in almquist shell."
   :type 'string
   :version "24.4"
diff --git a/lisp/net/tramp-sh.el b/lisp/net/tramp-sh.el
index 8598f0e758a..206ddfbfb55 100644
--- a/lisp/net/tramp-sh.el
+++ b/lisp/net/tramp-sh.el
@@ -4313,7 +4313,7 @@ process to set up.  VEC specifies the connection."
   "List of local coding commands for inline transfer.
 Each item is a list that looks like this:
 
-\(FORMAT ENCODING DECODING\)
+\(FORMAT ENCODING DECODING)
 
 FORMAT is  symbol describing the encoding/decoding format.  It can be
 `b64' for base64 encoding, `uu' for uu encoding, or `pack' for simple packing.
@@ -4351,7 +4351,7 @@ with the encoded or decoded results, respectively.")
   "List of remote coding commands for inline transfer.
 Each item is a list that looks like this:
 
-\(FORMAT ENCODING DECODING [TEST]\)
+\(FORMAT ENCODING DECODING [TEST])
 
 FORMAT is a symbol describing the encoding/decoding format.  It can be
 `b64' for base64 encoding, `uu' for uu encoding, or `pack' for simple packing.
@@ -4524,7 +4524,7 @@ means discard it)."
   "List of compress and decompress commands for inline transfer.
 Each item is a list that looks like this:
 
-\(COMPRESS DECOMPRESS\)
+\(COMPRESS DECOMPRESS)
 
 COMPRESS or DECOMPRESS are strings with the respective commands.")
 
@@ -5535,7 +5535,7 @@ Return ATTR."
            (tramp-get-remote-id vec)
            (if (equal id-format 'integer) "" "n")
            (if (equal id-format 'integer)
-               "" "| sed -e s/^/\\\"/ -e s/\$/\\\"/"))))
+               "" "| sed -e s/^/\\\"/ -e s/\\$/\\\"/"))))
 
 (defun tramp-get-remote-uid-with-perl (vec id-format)
   (tramp-send-command-and-read
@@ -5586,7 +5586,7 @@ Return ATTR."
            (tramp-get-remote-id vec)
            (if (equal id-format 'integer) "" "n")
            (if (equal id-format 'integer)
-               "" "| sed -e s/^/\\\"/ -e s/\$/\\\"/"))))
+               "" "| sed -e s/^/\\\"/ -e s/\\$/\\\"/"))))
 
 (defun tramp-get-remote-gid-with-perl (vec id-format)
   (tramp-send-command-and-read
diff --git a/lisp/net/tramp.el b/lisp/net/tramp.el
index 8b6ad7f1dc3..9ec3226417c 100644
--- a/lisp/net/tramp.el
+++ b/lisp/net/tramp.el
@@ -110,9 +110,9 @@ Any level x includes messages for all levels 1 .. x-1.  The levels are
 Each element looks like (REGEXP . DIRECTORY), with the same meaning like
 in `backup-directory-alist'.  If a Tramp file is backed up, and DIRECTORY
 is a local file name, the backup directory is prepended with Tramp file
-name prefix \(method, user, host\) of file.
+name prefix \(method, user, host) of file.
 
-\(setq tramp-backup-directory-alist backup-directory-alist\)
+\(setq tramp-backup-directory-alist backup-directory-alist)
 
 gives the same backup policy for Tramp files on their hosts like the
 policy for local files."
@@ -129,9 +129,9 @@ policy for local files."
 It has the same meaning like `bkup-backup-directory-info' from package
 `backup-dir'.  If a Tramp file is backed up, and BACKUP-DIR is a local
 file name, the backup directory is prepended with Tramp file name prefix
-\(method, user, host\) of file.
+\(method, user, host) of file.
 
-\(setq tramp-bkup-backup-directory-info bkup-backup-directory-info\)
+\(setq tramp-bkup-backup-directory-info bkup-backup-directory-info)
 
 gives the same backup policy for Tramp files on their hosts like the
 policy for local files."
@@ -464,15 +464,15 @@ host runs a registered shell, it shall be added to this list, too."
   (concat
    "\\`"
    (regexp-opt
-    (list "localhost" "localhost6" (system-name) "127\.0\.0\.1" "::1") t)
+    (list "localhost" "localhost6" (system-name) "127.0.0.1" "::1") t)
    "\\'")
   "Host names which are regarded as local host.")
 
 (defvar tramp-completion-function-alist nil
   "Alist of methods for remote files.
-This is a list of entries of the form \(NAME PAIR1 PAIR2 ...\).
+This is a list of entries of the form \(NAME PAIR1 PAIR2 ...).
 Each NAME stands for a remote access method.  Each PAIR is of the form
-\(FUNCTION FILE\).  FUNCTION is responsible to extract user names and host
+\(FUNCTION FILE).  FUNCTION is responsible to extract user names and host
 names from FILE for completion.  The following predefined FUNCTIONs exists:
 
  * `tramp-parse-rhosts'      for \"~/.rhosts\" like files,
@@ -908,7 +908,7 @@ and is a bit too general, then some files might be considered Tramp
 files which are not really Tramp files.
 
 Please note that the entry in `file-name-handler-alist' is made when
-this file \(tramp.el\) is loaded.  This means that this variable must be set
+this file \(tramp.el) is loaded.  This means that this variable must be set
 before loading tramp.el.  Alternatively, `file-name-handler-alist' can be
 updated after changing this variable.
 
@@ -940,7 +940,7 @@ See `tramp-file-name-structure' for more explanations.")
 This regexp should match partial Tramp file names only.
 
 Please note that the entry in `file-name-handler-alist' is made when
-this file \(tramp.el\) is loaded.  This means that this variable must be set
+this file \(tramp.el) is loaded.  This means that this variable must be set
 before loading tramp.el.  Alternatively, `file-name-handler-alist' can be
 updated after changing this variable.
 
@@ -993,18 +993,18 @@ checked via the following code:
 
 In the Emacs normally running Tramp, evaluate the above code
 \(replace \"xxx\" and \"yyy\" by the remote user and host name,
-respectively\).  You can do this, for example, by pasting it into
+respectively).  You can do this, for example, by pasting it into
 the `*scratch*' buffer and then hitting C-j with the cursor after the
 last closing parenthesis.  Note that it works only if you have configured
-\"ssh\" to run without password query, see ssh-agent\(1\).
+\"ssh\" to run without password query, see ssh-agent(1).
 
 You will see the number of bytes sent successfully to the remote host.
 If that number exceeds 1000, you can stop the execution by hitting
 C-g, because your Emacs is likely clean.
 
 When it is necessary to set `tramp-chunksize', you might consider to
-use an out-of-the-band method \(like \"scp\"\) instead of an internal one
-\(like \"ssh\"\), because setting `tramp-chunksize' to non-nil decreases
+use an out-of-the-band method \(like \"scp\") instead of an internal one
+\(like \"ssh\"), because setting `tramp-chunksize' to non-nil decreases
 performance.
 
 If your Emacs is buggy, the code stops and gives you an indication
diff --git a/lisp/net/zeroconf.el b/lisp/net/zeroconf.el
index 7fae9e6acc6..794a4676a5e 100644
--- a/lisp/net/zeroconf.el
+++ b/lisp/net/zeroconf.el
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ The key of an entry is the concatenation of the service name and
 service type of a discovered service.  The value is the service
 itself.  The format of a service is
 
-  \(INTERFACE PROTOCOL NAME TYPE DOMAIN FLAGS\)
+  \(INTERFACE PROTOCOL NAME TYPE DOMAIN FLAGS)
 
 The INTERFACE is a number, which represents the network interface
 the service is located at.  The corresponding network interface
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ The key of an entry is the concatenation of the service name and
 service type of a resolved service.  The value is the service
 itself.  The format of a service is
 
-  \(INTERFACE PROTOCOL NAME TYPE DOMAIN HOST APROTOCOL ADDRESS PORT TXT FLAGS\)
+  (INTERFACE PROTOCOL NAME TYPE DOMAIN HOST APROTOCOL ADDRESS PORT TXT FLAGS)
 
 INTERFACE, PROTOCOL, NAME, TYPE, DOMAIN and FLAGS have the same
 meaning as in `zeroconf-services-hash'.
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ supported keys depend on the service type.")
   "Returns all discovered Avahi services for a given service type TYPE.
 The service type is one of the returned values of
 `zeroconf-list-service-types'.  The return value is a list
-\(SERVICE1 SERVICE2 ...\).  See `zeroconf-services-hash' for the
+\(SERVICE1 SERVICE2 ...).  See `zeroconf-services-hash' for the
 format of SERVICE."
   (let (result)
     (maphash
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ type used when registering FUNCTION."
 NAME must be a string.  The service must be of service type
 TYPE. The resulting list has the format
 
-  \(INTERFACE PROTOCOL NAME TYPE DOMAIN FLAGS\)."
+  (INTERFACE PROTOCOL NAME TYPE DOMAIN FLAGS)."
   ;; Due to the service browser, all known services are kept in
   ;; `zeroconf-services-hash'.
   (gethash (concat name "/" type) zeroconf-services-hash nil))
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ TYPE. The resulting list has the format
 NAME must be a string.  The service must be of service type
 TYPE. The resulting list has the format
 
-  \(INTERFACE PROTOCOL NAME TYPE DOMAIN HOST APROTOCOL ADDRESS PORT TXT FLAGS\)."
+  (INTERFACE PROTOCOL NAME TYPE DOMAIN HOST APROTOCOL ADDRESS PORT TXT FLAGS)."
   (let* ((name (zeroconf-service-name service))
          (type (zeroconf-service-type service))
          (key (concat name "/" type)))
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-core.el b/lisp/org/ob-core.el
index 799e58b6af2..11cd2530dd7 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-core.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-core.el
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ be saved in the second match data.")
 
 (defvar org-babel-result-w-name-regexp
   (concat org-babel-result-regexp
-          "\\([^ ()\f\t\n\r\v]+\\)\\(\(\\(.*\\)\)\\|\\)"))
+          "\\([^ ()\f\t\n\r\v]+\\)\\((\\(.*\\))\\|\\)"))
 
 (defvar org-babel-min-lines-for-block-output 10
   "The minimum number of lines for block output.
@@ -2456,7 +2456,7 @@ block but are passed literally to the \"example-block\"."
       (setq index (point))
       (while (and (re-search-forward (org-babel-noweb-wrap) nil t))
         (save-match-data (setf source-name (match-string 1)))
-        (save-match-data (setq evaluate (string-match "\(.*\)" source-name)))
+        (save-match-data (setq evaluate (string-match "(.*)" source-name)))
         (save-match-data
           (setq prefix
                 (buffer-substring (match-beginning 0)
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-dot.el b/lisp/org/ob-dot.el
index 21a40b34f49..f4953a39eac 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-dot.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-dot.el
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
              (value (cdr pair)))
          (setq body
                (replace-regexp-in-string
-                (concat "\$" (regexp-quote name))
+                (concat "$" (regexp-quote name))
                 (if (stringp value) value (format "%S" value))
                 body))))
      vars)
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-lilypond.el b/lisp/org/ob-lilypond.el
index 5391edff5fc..04eab7c31dd 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-lilypond.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-lilypond.el
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ blocks")
              (value (cdr pair)))
          (setq body
                (replace-regexp-in-string
-                (concat "\$" (regexp-quote name))
+                (concat "$" (regexp-quote name))
                 (if (stringp value) value (format "%S" value))
                 body))))
      vars)
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-lob.el b/lisp/org/ob-lob.el
index b083011bbf2..c25470666c8 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-lob.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-lob.el
@@ -64,14 +64,14 @@ To add files to this list use the `org-babel-lob-ingest' command."
 
 (defconst org-babel-block-lob-one-liner-regexp
   (concat
-   "^\\([ \t]*?\\)#\\+call:[ \t]+\\([^\(\)\n]+?\\)\\(\\[\\(.*\\)\\]\\|\\(\\)\\)"
-   "\(\\([^\n]*?\\)\)\\(\\[.+\\]\\|\\)[ \t]*\\(\\([^\n]*\\)\\)?")
+   "^\\([ \t]*?\\)#\\+call:[ \t]+\\([^()\n]+?\\)\\(\\[\\(.*\\)\\]\\|\\(\\)\\)"
+   "(\\([^\n]*?\\))\\(\\[.+\\]\\|\\)[ \t]*\\(\\([^\n]*\\)\\)?")
   "Regexp to match non-inline calls to predefined source block functions.")
 
 (defconst org-babel-inline-lob-one-liner-regexp
   (concat
-   "\\([^\n]*?\\)call_\\([^\(\)\n]+?\\)\\(\\[\\(.*?\\)\\]\\|\\(\\)\\)"
-   "\(\\([^\n]*?\\)\)\\(\\[\\(.*?\\)\\]\\)?")
+   "\\([^\n]*?\\)call_\\([^()\n]+?\\)\\(\\[\\(.*?\\)\\]\\|\\(\\)\\)"
+   "(\\([^\n]*?\\))\\(\\[\\(.*?\\)\\]\\)?")
   "Regexp to match inline calls to predefined source block functions.")
 
 (defconst org-babel-lob-one-liner-regexp
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-octave.el b/lisp/org/ob-octave.el
index e0775dba3bd..7ad474dfb4d 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-octave.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-octave.el
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ if ischar(ans), fid = fopen('%s', 'w'); fprintf(fid, '%%s\\n', ans); fclose(fid)
 else, dlmwrite('%s', ans, '\\t')
 end")
 
-(defvar org-babel-octave-eoe-indicator "\'org_babel_eoe\'")
+(defvar org-babel-octave-eoe-indicator "'org_babel_eoe'")
 
 (defvar org-babel-octave-eoe-output "ans = org_babel_eoe")
 
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ specifying a variable of the same value."
                              (if (listp (car var)) "; " ",")) "]")
     (cond
      ((stringp var)
-      (format "\'%s\'" var))
+      (format "'%s'" var))
      (t
       (format "%s" var)))))
 
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-ref.el b/lisp/org/ob-ref.el
index 3e79592f5a0..5c1e13142da 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-ref.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-ref.el
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ the variable."
           (setq ref (substring ref 0 (match-beginning 0))))
         ;; assign any arguments to pass to source block
         (when (string-match
-               "^\\(.+?\\)\\(\\[\\(.*\\)\\]\\|\\(\\)\\)\(\\(.*\\)\)$" ref)
+               "^\\(.+?\\)\\(\\[\\(.*\\)\\]\\|\\(\\)\\)(\\(.*\\))$" ref)
           (setq new-refere      (match-string 1 ref))
           (setq new-header-args (match-string 3 ref))
           (setq new-referent    (match-string 5 ref))
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ returned, or an empty string or \"*\" both of which are
 interpreted to mean the entire range and as such are equivalent
 to \"0:-1\"."
   (if (and (> (length index) 0) (string-match "^\\([^,]*\\),?" index))
-      (let* ((ind-re "\\(\\([-[:digit:]]+\\):\\([-[:digit:]]+\\)\\|\*\\)")
+      (let* ((ind-re "\\(\\([-[:digit:]]+\\):\\([-[:digit:]]+\\)\\|\\*\\)")
              (lgth (length lis))
              (portion (match-string 1 index))
              (remainder (substring index (match-end 0)))
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-sql.el b/lisp/org/ob-sql.el
index 7ed61b153e7..6dff9adca86 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-sql.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-sql.el
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ This function is called by `org-babel-execute-src-block'."
                     ('dbi (format "dbish --batch %s < %s | sed '%s' > %s"
                                   (or cmdline "")
                                   (org-babel-process-file-name in-file)
-                                  "/^+/d;s/^\|//;s/(NULL)/ /g;$d"
+                                  "/^+/d;s/^|//;s/(NULL)/ /g;$d"
                                   (org-babel-process-file-name out-file)))
                     ('monetdb (format "mclient -f tab %s < %s > %s"
                                       (or cmdline "")
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ This function is called by `org-babel-execute-src-block'."
    (lambda (pair)
      (setq body
            (replace-regexp-in-string
-            (format "\$%s" (car pair))  ;FIXME: "\$" == "$"!
+            (format "$%s" (car pair))
             (let ((val (cdr pair)))
               (if (listp val)
                   (let ((data-file (org-babel-temp-file "sql-data-")))
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-sqlite.el b/lisp/org/ob-sqlite.el
index 33c8d9b59fc..18d7fc8fd6a 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-sqlite.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-sqlite.el
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ This function is called by `org-babel-execute-src-block'."
    (lambda (pair)
      (setq body
            (replace-regexp-in-string
-            (format "\$%s" (car pair))  ;FIXME: "\$" == "$"!
+            (format "$%s" (car pair))
             (let ((val (cdr pair)))
               (if (listp val)
                   (let ((data-file (org-babel-temp-file "sqlite-data-")))
diff --git a/lisp/org/ob-tangle.el b/lisp/org/ob-tangle.el
index c0846f9cd82..732522c3773 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ob-tangle.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ob-tangle.el
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ Insert the source-code specified by SPEC into the current source
 code file.  This function uses `comment-region' which assumes
 that the appropriate major-mode is set.  SPEC has the form:
 
-  \(start-line file link source-name params body comment)"
+  (start-line file link source-name params body comment)"
   (let* ((start-line (nth 0 spec))
          (file (nth 1 spec))
          (link (nth 2 spec))
diff --git a/lisp/org/org-agenda.el b/lisp/org/org-agenda.el
index ae5a252d8af..0b3be562489 100644
--- a/lisp/org/org-agenda.el
+++ b/lisp/org/org-agenda.el
@@ -4603,7 +4603,8 @@ in `org-agenda-text-search-extra-files'."
                                              (goto-char (1- end))
                                              (throw :skip t)))
                               (if todo-only
-                                  (cons (concat "^\*+[ \t]+" org-not-done-regexp)
+                                  (cons (concat "^\\*+[ \t]+"
+                                                org-not-done-regexp)
                                         regexps+)
                                 regexps+))
                         (goto-char beg)
diff --git a/lisp/org/org-clock.el b/lisp/org/org-clock.el
index 9489edf98bf..b386eb11652 100644
--- a/lisp/org/org-clock.el
+++ b/lisp/org/org-clock.el
@@ -1235,7 +1235,7 @@ make this the default behavior.)"
                    (looking-at
                     (concat "^[ \t]*" org-clock-string
                             " \\[\\([0-9]\\{4\\}-[0-9]\\{2\\}-[0-9]\\{2\\}"
-                            " *\\sw+\.? +[012][0-9]:[0-5][0-9]\\)\\][ \t]*$")))
+                            " *\\sw+.? +[012][0-9]:[0-5][0-9]\\)\\][ \t]*$")))
               (message "Matched %s" (match-string 1))
               (setq ts (concat "[" (match-string 1) "]"))
               (goto-char (match-end 1))
diff --git a/lisp/org/org-colview.el b/lisp/org/org-colview.el
index e938ab4ae4b..396aa3711d3 100644
--- a/lisp/org/org-colview.el
+++ b/lisp/org/org-colview.el
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ CPHR is the complex heading regexp to use for parsing ITEM."
   (let (fixitem)
     (if (not cphr)
         item
-      (unless (string-match "^\*+ " item)
+      (unless (string-match "^\\*+ " item)
         (setq item (concat "* " item) fixitem t))
       (if (string-match cphr item)
           (setq item
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ CPHR is the complex heading regexp to use for parsing ITEM."
          0 (1+ (match-end 1))
          (list 'org-whitespace (* 2 (1- (org-reduced-level (- (match-end 1) (match-beginning 1))))))
          item))
-      (if fixitem (replace-regexp-in-string "^\*+ " "" item) item))))
+      (if fixitem (replace-regexp-in-string "^\\*+ " "" item) item))))
 
 (defun org-columns-compact-links (s)
   "Replace [[link][desc]] with [desc] or [link]."
diff --git a/lisp/org/org-element.el b/lisp/org/org-element.el
index 573d7eeca2d..9f4cfa3ec66 100644
--- a/lisp/org/org-element.el
+++ b/lisp/org/org-element.el
@@ -4141,30 +4141,30 @@ Assuming TREE is a variable containing an Org buffer parse tree,
 the following example will return a flat list of all `src-block'
 and `example-block' elements in it:
 
-  \(org-element-map tree \\='(example-block src-block) \\='identity)
+  (org-element-map tree \\='(example-block src-block) \\='identity)
 
 The following snippet will find the first headline with a level
 of 1 and a \"phone\" tag, and will return its beginning position:
 
-  \(org-element-map tree \\='headline
-   \(lambda (hl)
-     \(and (= (org-element-property :level hl) 1)
-          \(member \"phone\" (org-element-property :tags hl))
-          \(org-element-property :begin hl)))
+  (org-element-map tree \\='headline
+   (lambda (hl)
+     (and (= (org-element-property :level hl) 1)
+          (member \"phone\" (org-element-property :tags hl))
+          (org-element-property :begin hl)))
    nil t)
 
 The next example will return a flat list of all `plain-list' type
 elements in TREE that are not a sub-list themselves:
 
-  \(org-element-map tree \\='plain-list \\='identity nil nil \\='plain-list)
+  (org-element-map tree \\='plain-list \\='identity nil nil \\='plain-list)
 
 Eventually, this example will return a flat list of all `bold'
 type objects containing a `latex-snippet' type object, even
 looking into captions:
 
-  \(org-element-map tree \\='bold
-   \(lambda (b)
-     \(and (org-element-map b \\='latex-snippet \\='identity nil t) b))
+  (org-element-map tree \\='bold
+   (lambda (b)
+     (and (org-element-map b \\='latex-snippet \\='identity nil t) b))
    nil nil nil t)"
   ;; Ensure TYPES and NO-RECURSION are a list, even of one element.
   (unless (listp types) (setq types (list types)))
diff --git a/lisp/org/org-footnote.el b/lisp/org/org-footnote.el
index 0f086975aa7..5d853e62bc1 100644
--- a/lisp/org/org-footnote.el
+++ b/lisp/org/org-footnote.el
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ positions, and the definition, when inlined."
 
 This matches only pure definitions like [1] or [fn:name] at the
 beginning of a line.  It does not match references like
-\[fn:name:definition], where the footnote text is included and
+[fn:name:definition], where the footnote text is included and
 defined locally.
 
 The return value will be nil if not at a footnote definition, and
diff --git a/lisp/org/org-list.el b/lisp/org/org-list.el
index 28bed8dcc59..c8266500fe3 100644
--- a/lisp/org/org-list.el
+++ b/lisp/org/org-list.el
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ This variable needs to be set before org.el is loaded.  If you
 need to make a change while Emacs is running, use the customize
 interface or run the following code after updating it:
 
-  \(when (featurep \\='org-element) (load \"org-element\" t t))"
+  (when (featurep \\='org-element) (load \"org-element\" t t))"
   :group 'org-plain-lists
   :version "24.1"
   :type 'boolean
@@ -620,11 +620,11 @@ point-at-bol:
 
 will get the following structure:
 
-\(\(1 0 \"- \"  nil \"[X]\" nil 97\)
- \(18 2 \"1. \"  nil nil nil 34\)
- \(34 2 \"5. \" \"5\" nil nil 55\)
- \(97 0 \"- \"  nil nil nil 131\)
- \(109 2 \"+ \" nil nil \"tag\" 131\)
+ ((1 0 \"- \"  nil \"[X]\" nil 97)
+  (18 2 \"1. \"  nil nil nil 34)
+  (34 2 \"5. \" \"5\" nil nil 55)
+  (97 0 \"- \"  nil nil nil 131)
+  (109 2 \"+ \" nil nil \"tag\" 131))
 
 Assume point is at an item."
   (save-excursion
@@ -2015,7 +2015,7 @@ previous item, plus ARGS extra arguments.
 
 FUNCTION is applied on items in reverse order.
 
-As an example, \(org-apply-on-list \(lambda \(result\) \(1+ result\)\) 0\)
+As an example, \(org-apply-on-list \(lambda \(result) \(1+ result)) 0)
 will return the number of items in the current list.
 
 Sublists of the list are skipped.  Cursor is always at the
@@ -2931,13 +2931,13 @@ For example, the following list:
 
 will be parsed as:
 
-\(ordered
-  \(nil \"first item\"
-  \(unordered
-    \(nil \"sub-item one\"\)
-    \(nil \"[CBON] sub-item two\"\)\)
-  \"more text in first item\"\)
-  \(3 \"last item\"\)\)
+ (ordered
+  (nil \"first item\"
+  (unordered
+    (nil \"sub-item one\")
+    (nil \"[CBON] sub-item two\"))
+  \"more text in first item\")
+  (3 \"last item\"))
 
 Point is left at list end."
   (defvar parse-item)                   ;FIXME: Or use `cl-labels' or `letrec'.
diff --git a/lisp/org/org-table.el b/lisp/org/org-table.el
index 478ad933ae2..174e36ed632 100644
--- a/lisp/org/org-table.el
+++ b/lisp/org/org-table.el
@@ -440,8 +440,8 @@ available parameters."
   "Check if the table has a marking column.
 If yes remove the column and the special lines."
   (let ((special (if maybe-quoted
-                     "^[ \t]*| *\\\\?[\#!$*_^/ ] *|"
-                   "^[ \t]*| *[\#!$*_^/ ] *|"))
+                     "^[ \t]*| *\\\\?[#!$*_^/ ] *|"
+                   "^[ \t]*| *[#!$*_^/ ] *|"))
         (ignore  (if maybe-quoted
                      "^[ \t]*| *\\\\?[!$_^/] *|"
                    "^[ \t]*| *[!$_^/] *|")))
@@ -3248,7 +3248,7 @@ formulas that use a range of rows or columns, it may often be better
 to anchor the formula with \"I\" row markers, or to offset from the
 borders of the table using the @< @> $< $> makers."
   (let (n nmax len char (start 0))
-    (while (string-match "\\([@$]\\)\\(<+\\|>+\\)\\|\\(remote([^\)]+)\\)"
+    (while (string-match "\\([@$]\\)\\(<+\\|>+\\)\\|\\(remote([^)]+)\\)"
                          s start)
       (if (match-end 3)
           (setq start (match-end 3))
diff --git a/lisp/org/org.el b/lisp/org/org.el
index c7b64cccb19..7a6d6cc1b3f 100644
--- a/lisp/org/org.el
+++ b/lisp/org/org.el
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ core modules, nor modules from the CONTRIB directory).  Just add symbols
 to the end of the list.  If the package is called org-xyz.el, then you need
 to add the symbol `xyz', and the package must have a call to:
 
-   \(provide \\='org-xyz)
+   (provide \\='org-xyz)
 
 For export specific modules, see also `org-export-backends'."
   :group 'org
@@ -465,26 +465,26 @@ need to make a change while Emacs is running, use the customize
 interface or run the following code, where VAL stands for the new
 value of the variable, after updating it:
 
-  \(progn
-    \(setq org-export--registered-backends
-          \(org-remove-if-not
-           \(lambda (backend)
-             \(let ((name (org-export-backend-name backend)))
-               \(or (memq name val)
-                   \(catch \\='parentp
-                     \(dolist (b val)
-                       \(and (org-export-derived-backend-p b name)
-                            \(throw \\='parentp t)))))))
+  (progn
+    (setq org-export--registered-backends
+          (org-remove-if-not
+           (lambda (backend)
+             (let ((name (org-export-backend-name backend)))
+               (or (memq name val)
+                   (catch \\='parentp
+                     (dolist (b val)
+                       (and (org-export-derived-backend-p b name)
+                            (throw \\='parentp t)))))))
            org-export--registered-backends))
-    \(let ((new-list (mapcar \\='org-export-backend-name
+    (let ((new-list (mapcar \\='org-export-backend-name
                             org-export--registered-backends)))
-      \(dolist (backend val)
-        \(cond
-         \((not (load (format \"ox-%s\" backend) t t))
-          \(message \"Problems while trying to load export back-end \\=`%s\\='\"
+      (dolist (backend val)
+        (cond
+         ((not (load (format \"ox-%s\" backend) t t))
+          (message \"Problems while trying to load export back-end \\=`%s\\='\"
                    backend))
-         \((not (memq backend new-list)) (push backend new-list))))
-      \(set-default \\='org-export-backends new-list)))
+         ((not (memq backend new-list)) (push backend new-list))))
+      (set-default \\='org-export-backends new-list)))
 
 Adding a back-end to this list will also pull the back-end it
 depends on, if any."
@@ -2957,7 +2957,7 @@ its value is 0.
 
 For example,
 
-  \(:days \"%dd\" :hours \"%d\" :require-hours t :minutes \":%02d\"
+   (:days \"%dd\" :hours \"%d\" :require-hours t :minutes \":%02d\"
     :require-minutes t)
 
 means durations longer than a day will be expressed in days,
@@ -2967,7 +2967,7 @@ hour).
 
 The value
 
-  \(:days \"%dd\" :minutes \"%dm\")
+  (:days \"%dd\" :minutes \"%dm\")
 
 means durations longer than a day will be expressed in days and
 minutes, and durations less than a day will be expressed entirely
@@ -3802,8 +3802,8 @@ images at the same place."
 
 (defcustom org-format-latex-header "\\documentclass{article}
 \\usepackage[usenames]{color}
-\[PACKAGES]
-\[DEFAULT-PACKAGES]
+[PACKAGES]
+[DEFAULT-PACKAGES]
 \\pagestyle{empty}             % do not remove
 % The settings below are copied from fullpage.sty
 \\setlength{\\textwidth}{\\paperwidth}
@@ -3889,7 +3889,7 @@ a string.
 
 A cell is of the format:
 
-  \( \"options\" \"package\" SNIPPET-FLAG).
+  ( \"options\" \"package\" SNIPPET-FLAG).
 
 If SNIPPET-FLAG is non-nil, the package also needs to be included
 when compiling LaTeX snippets into images for inclusion into
@@ -3917,7 +3917,7 @@ Each element is either a cell or a string.
 
 A cell is of the format:
 
-    \(\"options\" \"package\" SNIPPET-FLAG)
+    (\"options\" \"package\" SNIPPET-FLAG)
 
 SNIPPET-FLAG, when non-nil, indicates that this package is also
 needed when turning LaTeX snippets into images for inclusion into
@@ -7302,7 +7302,7 @@ Optional arguments START and END can be used to limit the range."
 (defconst org-goto-help
   "Browse buffer copy, to find location or copy text.%s
 RET=jump to location             C-g=quit and return to previous location
-\[Up]/[Down]=next/prev headline   TAB=cycle visibility   [/] org-occur")
+[Up]/[Down]=next/prev headline   TAB=cycle visibility   [/] org-occur")
 
 (defvar org-goto-start-pos) ; dynamically scoped parameter
 
@@ -7682,7 +7682,7 @@ command."
               (re-search-forward org-outline-regexp-bol)
               (beginning-of-line 0))
             (skip-chars-backward " \r\n")
-            (and (not (looking-back "^\*+" (line-beginning-position)))
+            (and (not (looking-back "^\\*+" (line-beginning-position)))
                  (looking-at "[ \t]+") (replace-match ""))
             (unless (eobp) (forward-char 1))
             (when (looking-at "^\\*")
@@ -11389,7 +11389,7 @@ on the system \"/user@host:\"."
                          (setq level (org-reduced-level
                                       (- (match-end 1) (match-beginning 1)))
                                txt (org-link-display-format (match-string 4))
-                               txt (replace-regexp-in-string "\\( *\[[0-9]+/?[0-9]*%?\]\\)+$" "" txt)
+                               txt (replace-regexp-in-string "\\( *[[0-9]+/?[0-9]*%?]\\)+$" "" txt)
                                re (format org-complex-heading-regexp-format
                                           (regexp-quote (match-string 4))))
                          (when org-refile-use-outline-path
@@ -16355,7 +16355,7 @@ While prompting, a calendar is popped up - you can also select the
 date with the mouse (button 1).  The calendar shows a period of three
 months.  To scroll it to other months, use the keys `>' and `<'.
 If you don't like the calendar, turn it off with
-       \(setq org-read-date-popup-calendar nil)
+       (setq org-read-date-popup-calendar nil)
 
 With optional argument TO-TIME, the date will immediately be converted
 to an internal time.
@@ -17912,7 +17912,7 @@ If EXCLUDE-TMP is non-nil, ignore temporary buffers."
            ((eq predicate 'files)
             (lambda (b) (with-current-buffer b (derived-mode-p 'org-mode))))
            ((eq predicate 'export)
-            (lambda (b) (string-match "\*Org .*Export" (buffer-name b))))
+            (lambda (b) (string-match "\\*Org .*Export" (buffer-name b))))
            ((eq predicate 'agenda)
             (lambda (b)
               (with-current-buffer b
@@ -17921,7 +17921,7 @@ If EXCLUDE-TMP is non-nil, ignore temporary buffers."
                      (member (file-truename bfn) agenda-files)))))
            (t (lambda (b) (with-current-buffer b
                             (or (derived-mode-p 'org-mode)
-                                (string-match "\*Org .*Export"
+                                (string-match "\\*Org .*Export"
                                               (buffer-name b)))))))))
     (delq nil
           (mapcar
@@ -23005,7 +23005,7 @@ no special treatment.  In particular, a simple \\[universal-argument] prefix \
 will just
 plainly yank the text as it is.
 
-\[1] The test checks if the first non-white line is a heading
+[1] The test checks if the first non-white line is a heading
     and if there are no other headings with fewer stars."
   (interactive "P")
   (org-yank-generic 'yank arg))
diff --git a/lisp/org/ox-html.el b/lisp/org/ox-html.el
index fc4f574a4c4..2b2d92ee2fc 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ox-html.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ox-html.el
@@ -2598,7 +2598,7 @@ Bind `org-html-standalone-image-predicate' to constrain paragraph
 further.  For example, to check for only captioned standalone
 images, set it to:
 
-  \(lambda (paragraph) (org-element-property :caption paragraph))"
+  (lambda (paragraph) (org-element-property :caption paragraph))"
   (let ((paragraph (case (org-element-type element)
                      (paragraph element)
                      (link (org-export-get-parent element)))))
diff --git a/lisp/org/ox-latex.el b/lisp/org/ox-latex.el
index cea02ff4548..91a864eee6e 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ox-latex.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ox-latex.el
@@ -212,9 +212,9 @@
 If #+LATEX_CLASS is set in the buffer, use its value and the
 associated information.  Here is the structure of each cell:
 
-  \(class-name
+  (class-name
     header-string
-    \(numbered-section . unnumbered-section)
+    (numbered-section . unnumbered-section)
     ...)
 
 The header string
@@ -281,11 +281,11 @@ section string and will be replaced by the title of the section.
 Instead of a cons cell (numbered . unnumbered), you can also
 provide a list of 2 or 4 elements,
 
-  \(numbered-open numbered-close)
+  (numbered-open numbered-close)
 
 or
 
-  \(numbered-open numbered-close unnumbered-open unnumbered-close)
+  (numbered-open numbered-close unnumbered-open unnumbered-close)
 
 providing opening and closing strings for a LaTeX environment
 that should represent the document section.  The opening clause
@@ -591,18 +591,18 @@ The function should return the string to be exported.
 For example, the variable could be set to the following function
 in order to mimic default behavior:
 
-\(defun org-latex-format-inlinetask \(todo type priority name tags contents\)
+\(defun org-latex-format-inlinetask (todo type priority name tags contents)
 \"Format an inline task element for LaTeX export.\"
-  \(let ((full-title
-         \(concat
-          \(when todo
-            \(format \"\\\\textbf{\\\\textsf{\\\\textsc{%s}}} \" todo))
-          \(when priority (format \"\\\\framebox{\\\\#%c} \" priority))
+  (let ((full-title
+         (concat
+          (when todo
+            (format \"\\\\textbf{\\\\textsf{\\\\textsc{%s}}} \" todo))
+          (when priority (format \"\\\\framebox{\\\\#%c} \" priority))
           title
-          \(when tags
-            \(format \"\\\\hfill{}\\\\textsc{:%s:}\"
-                    \(mapconcat \\='identity tags \":\")))))
-    \(format (concat \"\\\\begin{center}\\n\"
+          (when tags
+            (format \"\\\\hfill{}\\\\textsc{:%s:}\"
+                    (mapconcat \\='identity tags \":\")))))
+    (format (concat \"\\\\begin{center}\\n\"
                     \"\\\\fbox{\\n\"
                     \"\\\\begin{minipage}[c]{.6\\\\textwidth}\\n\"
                     \"%s\\n\\n\"
@@ -626,21 +626,21 @@ listings package, and if you want to have color, the color
 package.  Just add these to `org-latex-packages-alist', for
 example using customize, or with something like:
 
-  \(require \\='ox-latex)
-  \(add-to-list \\='org-latex-packages-alist \\='(\"\" \"listings\"))
-  \(add-to-list \\='org-latex-packages-alist \\='(\"\" \"color\"))
+  (require \\='ox-latex)
+  (add-to-list \\='org-latex-packages-alist \\='(\"\" \"listings\"))
+  (add-to-list \\='org-latex-packages-alist \\='(\"\" \"color\"))
 
 Alternatively,
 
-  \(setq org-latex-listings \\='minted)
+  (setq org-latex-listings \\='minted)
 
 causes source code to be exported using the minted package as
 opposed to listings.  If you want to use minted, you need to add
 the minted package to `org-latex-packages-alist', for example
 using customize, or with
 
-  \(require \\='ox-latex)
-  \(add-to-list \\='org-latex-packages-alist \\='(\"\" \"minted\"))
+  (require \\='ox-latex)
+  (add-to-list \\='org-latex-packages-alist \\='(\"\" \"minted\"))
 
 In addition, it is necessary to install pygments
 \(http://pygments.org), and to configure the variable
@@ -689,9 +689,9 @@ These options are supplied as a comma-separated list to the
 a list containing two strings: the name of the option, and the
 value.  For example,
 
-  \(setq org-latex-listings-options
+  (setq org-latex-listings-options
     '((\"basicstyle\" \"\\\\small\")
-      \(\"keywordstyle\" \"\\\\color{black}\\\\bfseries\\\\underbar\")))
+      (\"keywordstyle\" \"\\\\color{black}\\\\bfseries\\\\underbar\")))
 
 will typeset the code in a small size font with underlined, bold
 black keywords.
@@ -736,8 +736,8 @@ These options are supplied within square brackets in
 be a list containing two strings: the name of the option, and the
 value.  For example,
 
-  \(setq org-latex-minted-options
-    '\((\"bgcolor\" \"bg\") \(\"frame\" \"lines\")))
+  (setq org-latex-minted-options
+    '((\"bgcolor\" \"bg\") (\"frame\" \"lines\")))
 
 will result in src blocks being exported with
 
@@ -757,8 +757,8 @@ options will be applied to blocks of all languages."
 It is used during export of src blocks by the listings and minted
 latex packages.  For example,
 
-  \(setq org-latex-custom-lang-environments
-     '\(\(python \"pythoncode\"\)\)\)
+  (setq org-latex-custom-lang-environments
+     '((python \"pythoncode\")))
 
 would have the effect that if org encounters begin_src python
 during latex export it will output
diff --git a/lisp/org/ox-man.el b/lisp/org/ox-man.el
index 8b4ddc7e651..d7adcd5486d 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ox-man.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ox-man.el
@@ -206,8 +206,8 @@ in this list - but it does not hurt if it is present."
 It is used during export of src blocks by the listings and
 man packages.  For example,
 
-  \(setq org-man-custom-lang-environments
-     '\(\(python \"pythoncode\"\)\)\)
+  (setq org-man-custom-lang-environments
+     '((python \"pythoncode\")))
 
 would have the effect that if org encounters begin_src python
 during man export."
diff --git a/lisp/org/ox-odt.el b/lisp/org/ox-odt.el
index a0281420317..1ee201ba23f 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ox-odt.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ox-odt.el
@@ -231,13 +231,13 @@ standard Emacs.")
 (defvar org-odt-automatic-styles '()
   "Registry of automatic styles for various OBJECT-TYPEs.
 The variable has the following form:
-\(\(OBJECT-TYPE-A
-  \(\(OBJECT-NAME-A.1 OBJECT-PROPS-A.1\)
-   \(OBJECT-NAME-A.2 OBJECT-PROPS-A.2\) ...\)\)
- \(OBJECT-TYPE-B
-  \(\(OBJECT-NAME-B.1 OBJECT-PROPS-B.1\)
-   \(OBJECT-NAME-B.2 OBJECT-PROPS-B.2\) ...\)\)
- ...\).
+ ((OBJECT-TYPE-A
+   ((OBJECT-NAME-A.1 OBJECT-PROPS-A.1)
+    (OBJECT-NAME-A.2 OBJECT-PROPS-A.2) ...))
+  (OBJECT-TYPE-B
+   ((OBJECT-NAME-B.1 OBJECT-PROPS-B.1)
+    (OBJECT-NAME-B.2 OBJECT-PROPS-B.2) ...))
+  ...).
 
 OBJECT-TYPEs could be \"Section\", \"Table\", \"Figure\" etc.
 OBJECT-PROPS is (typically) a plist created by passing
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ according to the default face identified by the `htmlfontify'.")
 
 This is an alist where each element is of the form:
 
-  \(STYLE-NAME ATTACH-FMT REF-MODE REF-FMT)
+  (STYLE-NAME ATTACH-FMT REF-MODE REF-FMT)
 
 ATTACH-FMT controls how labels and captions are attached to an
 entity.  It may contain following specifiers - %e and %c.  %e is
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ See also `org-odt-format-label'.")
 
 This is a list where each entry is of the form:
 
-  \(CATEGORY-HANDLE OD-VARIABLE LABEL-STYLE CATEGORY-NAME ENUMERATOR-PREDICATE)
+  (CATEGORY-HANDLE OD-VARIABLE LABEL-STYLE CATEGORY-NAME ENUMERATOR-PREDICATE)
 
 CATEGORY_HANDLE identifies the captionable entity in question.
 
@@ -670,11 +670,11 @@ The default value simply returns the value of CONTENTS."
   "Function to format headline text.
 
 This function will be called with 5 arguments:
-TODO      the todo keyword \(string or nil\).
-TODO-TYPE the type of todo \(symbol: `todo', `done', nil\)
-PRIORITY  the priority of the headline \(integer or nil\)
-TEXT      the main headline text \(string\).
-TAGS      the tags string, separated with colons \(string or nil\).
+TODO      the todo keyword (string or nil).
+TODO-TYPE the type of todo (symbol: `todo', `done', nil)
+PRIORITY  the priority of the headline (integer or nil)
+TEXT      the main headline text (string).
+TAGS      the tags string, separated with colons (string or nil).
 
 The function result will be used as headline text."
   :group 'org-export-odt
@@ -852,11 +852,11 @@ ON-OR-OFF                 := t | nil
 For example, with the following configuration
 
 \(setq org-odt-table-styles
-      '\(\(\"TableWithHeaderRowsAndColumns\" \"Custom\"
-         \(\(use-first-row-styles . t\)
-          \(use-first-column-styles . t\)\)\)
-        \(\"TableWithHeaderColumns\" \"Custom\"
-         \(\(use-first-column-styles . t\)\)\)\)\)
+      '((\"TableWithHeaderRowsAndColumns\" \"Custom\"
+         ((use-first-row-styles . t)
+          (use-first-column-styles . t)))
+        (\"TableWithHeaderColumns\" \"Custom\"
+         ((use-first-column-styles . t)))))
 
 1. A table associated with \"TableWithHeaderRowsAndColumns\"
    style will use the following table-cell styles -
diff --git a/lisp/org/ox-publish.el b/lisp/org/ox-publish.el
index 08762fbbfdd..52d925adbf9 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ox-publish.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ox-publish.el
@@ -69,12 +69,12 @@ CDR of each element is in one of the following forms:
    alternating keys and values, specifying parameters for the
    publishing process.
 
-     \(:property value :property value ... )
+     (:property value :property value ... )
 
 2. A meta-project definition, specifying of a list of
    sub-projects:
 
-     \(:components (\"project-1\" \"project-2\" ...))
+     (:components (\"project-1\" \"project-2\" ...))
 
 When the CDR of an element of org-publish-project-alist is in
 this second form, the elements of the list after `:components'
diff --git a/lisp/org/ox-texinfo.el b/lisp/org/ox-texinfo.el
index d5e650afb79..5130329d4b4 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ox-texinfo.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ox-texinfo.el
@@ -137,9 +137,9 @@ If nil it will default to `buffer-file-coding-system'."
 If #+TEXINFO_CLASS is set in the buffer, use its value and the
 associated information.  Here is the structure of each cell:
 
-  \(class-name
+  (class-name
     header-string
-    \(numbered-section . unnumbered-section)
+    (numbered-section . unnumbered-section)
     ...)
 
 
@@ -210,14 +210,14 @@ order to reproduce the default set-up:
 
 \(defun org-texinfo-format-headline (todo todo-type priority text tags)
   \"Default format function for a headline.\"
-  \(concat (when todo
-            \(format \"\\\\textbf{\\\\textsc{\\\\textsf{%s}}} \" todo))
-          \(when priority
-            \(format \"\\\\framebox{\\\\#%c} \" priority))
+  (concat (when todo
+            (format \"\\\\textbf{\\\\textsc{\\\\textsf{%s}}} \" todo))
+          (when priority
+            (format \"\\\\framebox{\\\\#%c} \" priority))
           text
-          \(when tags
-            \(format \"\\\\hfill{}\\\\textsc{%s}\"
-              \(mapconcat \\='identity tags \":\"))))"
+          (when tags
+            (format \"\\\\hfill{}\\\\textsc{%s}\"
+              (mapconcat \\='identity tags \":\"))))"
   :group 'org-export-texinfo
   :type 'function)
 
@@ -337,18 +337,18 @@ The function should return the string to be exported.
 For example, the variable could be set to the following function
 in order to mimic default behavior:
 
-\(defun org-texinfo-format-inlinetask \(todo type priority name tags contents\)
+\(defun org-texinfo-format-inlinetask (todo type priority name tags contents)
 \"Format an inline task element for Texinfo export.\"
-  \(let ((full-title
-         \(concat
-          \(when todo
-            \(format \"@strong{%s} \" todo))
-          \(when priority (format \"#%c \" priority))
+  (let ((full-title
+         (concat
+          (when todo
+            (format \"@strong{%s} \" todo))
+          (when priority (format \"#%c \" priority))
           title
-          \(when tags
-            \(format \":%s:\"
-                    \(mapconcat \\='identity tags \":\")))))
-    \(format (concat \"@center %s\n\n\"
+          (when tags
+            (format \":%s:\"
+                    (mapconcat \\='identity tags \":\")))))
+    (format (concat \"@center %s\n\n\"
                     \"%s\"
                     \"\n\"))
             full-title contents))"
@@ -1578,7 +1578,7 @@ none."
                   (re-search-forward "requires a sectioning" nil t))
             (setq errors (concat errors " [invalid section command]")))
           (when (save-excursion
-                  (re-search-forward "\\[unexpected\]" nil t))
+                  (re-search-forward "\\[unexpected\ ]" nil t))
             (setq errors (concat errors " [unexpected error]")))
           (when (save-excursion
                   (re-search-forward "misplaced " nil t))
diff --git a/lisp/org/ox.el b/lisp/org/ox.el
index 3493b837cec..2fa03866281 100644
--- a/lisp/org/ox.el
+++ b/lisp/org/ox.el
@@ -849,7 +849,7 @@ output is restricted to body only, \"s\" when it is restricted to
 the current subtree, \"v\" when only visible elements are
 considered for export, \"f\" when publishing functions should be
 passed the FORCE argument and \"a\" when the export should be
-asynchronous).  Also, \[?] allows to switch back to standard
+asynchronous).  Also, [?] allows to switch back to standard
 mode."
   :group 'org-export-general
   :version "24.4"
@@ -1095,19 +1095,19 @@ keywords are understood:
       or
 
        (?l \"Export to LaTeX\"
-           \(?p \"As PDF file\" org-latex-export-to-pdf)
-           \(?o \"As PDF file and open\"
-               \(lambda (a s v b)
-                 \(if a (org-latex-export-to-pdf t s v b)
-                   \(org-open-file
-                    \(org-latex-export-to-pdf nil s v b)))))))
+           (?p \"As PDF file\" org-latex-export-to-pdf)
+           (?o \"As PDF file and open\"
+               (lambda (a s v b)
+                 (if a (org-latex-export-to-pdf t s v b)
+                   (org-open-file
+                    (org-latex-export-to-pdf nil s v b)))))))
 
       or the following, which will be added to the previous
       sub-menu,
 
        (?l 1
-          \((?B \"As TEX buffer (Beamer)\" org-beamer-export-as-latex)
-           \(?P \"As PDF file (Beamer)\" org-beamer-export-to-pdf)))
+          ((?B \"As TEX buffer (Beamer)\" org-beamer-export-as-latex)
+           (?P \"As PDF file (Beamer)\" org-beamer-export-to-pdf)))
 
   :options-alist
 
@@ -1180,12 +1180,12 @@ keywords are understood:
 As an example, here is how one could define \"my-latex\" back-end
 as a variant of `latex' back-end with a custom template function:
 
-  \(org-export-define-derived-backend \\='my-latex \\='latex
+  (org-export-define-derived-backend \\='my-latex \\='latex
      :translate-alist \\='((template . my-latex-template-fun)))
 
 The back-end could then be called with, for example:
 
-  \(org-export-to-buffer \\='my-latex \"*Test my-latex*\")"
+  (org-export-to-buffer \\='my-latex \"*Test my-latex*\")"
   (declare (indent 2))
   (let (blocks filters menu-entry options transcoders contents)
     (while (keywordp (car body))
@@ -1962,7 +1962,7 @@ DATA is the parse tree.  OPTIONS is the plist holding export
 options.
 
 Return an alist whose key is a headline and value is its
-associated numbering \(in the shape of a list of numbers\) or nil
+associated numbering \(in the shape of a list of numbers) or nil
 for a footnotes section."
   (let ((numbering (make-vector org-export-max-depth 0)))
     (org-element-map data 'headline
@@ -3314,7 +3314,7 @@ lines, include only those lines.
 Optional argument IND, when non-nil, is an integer specifying the
 global indentation of returned contents.  Since its purpose is to
 allow an included file to stay in the same environment it was
-created \(i.e. a list item), it doesn't apply past the first
+created \(i.e., a list item), it doesn't apply past the first
 headline encountered.
 
 Optional argument MINLEVEL, when non-nil, is an integer
@@ -3893,7 +3893,7 @@ PATH is the link path.  DESC is its description."
 Optional argument is a set of RULES defining inline images.  It
 is an alist where associations have the following shape:
 
-  \(TYPE . REGEXP)
+  (TYPE . REGEXP)
 
 Applying a rule means apply REGEXP against LINK's path when its
 type is TYPE.  The function will return a non-nil value if any of
@@ -3952,7 +3952,7 @@ Return value can be an object, an element, or nil:
 - If LINK path matches a target object (i.e. <<path>>) return it.
 
 - If LINK path exactly matches the name affiliated keyword
-  \(i.e. #+NAME: path) of an element, return that element.
+  (i.e. #+NAME: path) of an element, return that element.
 
 - If LINK path exactly matches any headline name, return that
   element.  If more than one headline share that name, priority
@@ -5586,10 +5586,10 @@ no argument.  It is always called within the current process,
 from BUFFER, with point at its beginning.  Export back-ends can
 use it to set a major mode there, e.g,
 
-  \(defun org-latex-export-as-latex
-    \(&optional async subtreep visible-only body-only ext-plist)
-    \(interactive)
-    \(org-export-to-buffer \\='latex \"*Org LATEX Export*\"
+  (defun org-latex-export-as-latex
+    (&optional async subtreep visible-only body-only ext-plist)
+    (interactive)
+    (org-export-to-buffer \\='latex \"*Org LATEX Export*\"
       async subtreep visible-only body-only ext-plist (lambda () (LaTeX-mode))))
 
 This function returns BUFFER."
@@ -5646,13 +5646,13 @@ argument and happens asynchronously when ASYNC is non-nil.  It
 has to return a file name, or nil.  Export back-ends can use this
 to send the output file through additional processing, e.g,
 
-  \(defun org-latex-export-to-latex
-    \(&optional async subtreep visible-only body-only ext-plist)
-    \(interactive)
-    \(let ((outfile (org-export-output-file-name \".tex\" subtreep)))
-      \(org-export-to-file \\='latex outfile
+  (defun org-latex-export-to-latex
+    (&optional async subtreep visible-only body-only ext-plist)
+    (interactive)
+    (let ((outfile (org-export-output-file-name \".tex\" subtreep)))
+      (org-export-to-file \\='latex outfile
         async subtreep visible-only body-only ext-plist
-        \(lambda (file) (org-latex-compile file)))
+        (lambda (file) (org-latex-compile file)))
 
 The function returns either a file name returned by POST-PROCESS,
 or FILE."
@@ -5985,7 +5985,7 @@ is nil when this menu hasn't been selected yet.
 
 EXPERTP, when non-nil, triggers expert UI.  In that case, no help
 buffer is provided, but indications about currently active
-options are given in the prompt.  Moreover, \[?] allows to switch
+options are given in the prompt.  Moreover, [?] allows to switch
 back to standard interface."
   (let* ((fontify-key
           (lambda (key &optional access-key)
@@ -6037,8 +6037,8 @@ back to standard interface."
             (concat
              ;; Options are hard-coded.
              (format "[%s] Body only:    %s           [%s] Visible only:     %s
-\[%s] Export scope: %s       [%s] Force publishing: %s
-\[%s] Async export: %s\n\n"
+[%s] Export scope: %s       [%s] Force publishing: %s
+[%s] Async export: %s\n\n"
                      (funcall fontify-key "C-b" t)
                      (funcall fontify-value
                               (if (memq 'body options) "On " "Off"))
diff --git a/lisp/play/doctor.el b/lisp/play/doctor.el
index 3da7267ca8e..3c9d87fa81e 100644
--- a/lisp/play/doctor.el
+++ b/lisp/play/doctor.el
@@ -989,7 +989,7 @@ Otherwise call the Doctor to parse preceding sentence."
 Put dialogue in buffer."
   (let (a
         (prompt (concat (doctor-make-string x)
-                        " what \?  "))
+                        " what ?  "))
         retval)
     (while (not retval)
            (while (not a)
diff --git a/lisp/play/gametree.el b/lisp/play/gametree.el
index 2c68c40d893..a07a24d5195 100644
--- a/lisp/play/gametree.el
+++ b/lisp/play/gametree.el
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ This value is simply the outline heading level of the current line."
 (defun gametree-hack-file-layout ()
   (save-excursion
     (goto-char (point-min))
-    (if (looking-at "[^\n]*-\*-[^\n]*gametree-local-layout: \\([^;\n]*\\);")
+    (if (looking-at "[^\n]*-*-[^\n]*gametree-local-layout: \\([^;\n]*\\);")
         (progn
           (goto-char (match-beginning 1))
           (delete-region (point) (match-end 1))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/ada-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/ada-mode.el
index 452f3b99742..529b691ee79 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/ada-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/ada-mode.el
@@ -2682,7 +2682,7 @@ if INITIAL-POS is non-nil, moves point to INITIAL-POS before calculation."
          ;; "then" has to be included in the case of "select...then abort"
          ;; statements, since (goto-stmt-start) at the beginning of
          ;; the current function would leave the cursor on that position
-         ((looking-at "\\(\\(els\\)?if\\>\\)\\|then abort\\\>")
+         ((looking-at "\\(\\(els\\)?if\\>\\)\\|then abort\\>")
           (ada-get-indent-if orgpoint))
          ;;
          ((looking-at "case\\>")
@@ -5290,7 +5290,7 @@ for `ada-procedure-start-regexp'."
             (setq functype (buffer-substring (point)
                                              (progn
                                                (skip-chars-forward
-                                                "a-zA-Z0-9_\.")
+                                                "a-zA-Z0-9_.")
                                                (point))))))
       ;; look for next non WS
       (cond
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/ada-xref.el b/lisp/progmodes/ada-xref.el
index 816de12cbdb..0ea33c16878 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/ada-xref.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/ada-xref.el
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ As a special case, ${current} is replaced with the name of the current
 file, minus extension but with directory, and ${full_current} is
 replaced by the name including the extension."
 
-  (while (string-match "\\(-[^-\$IO]*[IO]\\)?\${\\([^}]+\\)}" cmd-string)
+  (while (string-match "\\(-[^-$IO]*[IO]\\)?${\\([^}]+\\)}" cmd-string)
     (let (value
           (name (match-string 2 cmd-string)))
       (cond
@@ -1724,7 +1724,7 @@ Information is extracted from the ali file."
                 (concat "^"    (ada-line-of identlist)
                         "."    (ada-column-of identlist)
                         "[ *]" (ada-name-of identlist)
-                        "[{\[\(<= ]?\\(.*\\)$") bound t))
+                        "[{[(<= ]?\\(.*\\)$") bound t))
           (if declaration-found
               (ada-set-on-declaration identlist t))
           ))
@@ -1756,7 +1756,7 @@ Information is extracted from the ali file."
                    (concat
                     "^[0-9]+.[0-9]+[ *]"
                     (ada-name-of identlist)
-                    "[ <{=\(\[]\\(.\\|\n\\.\\)*\\<"
+                    "[ <{=([]\\(.\\|\n\\.\\)*\\<"
                     (ada-line-of identlist)
                     "[^0-9]"
                     (ada-column-of identlist) "\\>")
@@ -1779,7 +1779,7 @@ Information is extracted from the ali file."
               (forward-line -1)
               (beginning-of-line))
             (unless (looking-at (concat "[0-9]+.[0-9]+[ *]"
-                                        (ada-name-of identlist) "[ <{=\(\[]"))
+                                        (ada-name-of identlist) "[ <{=([]"))
               (setq declaration-found nil))))
 
       ;; Still no success ! The ali file must be too old, and we need to
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/antlr-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/antlr-mode.el
index 2d9bd487bb9..9cac400c27b 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/antlr-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/antlr-mode.el
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ variable list\" near the end of the file, see
     (c++-mode "C++" "\"Cpp\"" "Cpp"))
   "List of ANTLR's supported languages.
 Each element in this list looks like
-  \(MAJOR-MODE MODELINE-STRING OPTION-VALUE...)
+  (MAJOR-MODE MODELINE-STRING OPTION-VALUE...)
 
 MAJOR-MODE, the major mode of the code in the grammar's actions, is the
 value of `antlr-language' if the first group in the string matched by
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ also displayed in the mode line next to \"Antlr\"."
 (defcustom antlr-language-limit-n-regexp
   '(8192 . "language[ \t]*=[ \t]*\\(\"?[A-Z][A-Za-z_]*\"?\\)")
   "Used to set a reasonable value for `antlr-language'.
-Looks like \(LIMIT \. REGEXP).  Search for REGEXP from the beginning of
+Looks like \(LIMIT . REGEXP).  Search for REGEXP from the beginning of
 the buffer to LIMIT and use the first group in the matched string to set
 the language according to `antlr-language-alist'."
   :group 'antlr
@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@ COUNT starts with 1.  GEN-SEP is used to separate long variable values."
     (c++-mode ("%sTokenTypes.hpp") ("%s.cpp" "%s.hpp")))
   "Language dependent formats which specify generated files.
 Each element in this list looks looks like
-  \(MAJOR-MODE (VOCAB-FILE-FORMAT...) (CLASS-FILE-FORMAT...)).
+  (MAJOR-MODE (VOCAB-FILE-FORMAT...) (CLASS-FILE-FORMAT...)).
 
 The element whose MAJOR-MODE is equal to `antlr-language' is used to
 specify the generated files which are language dependent.  See variable
@@ -779,7 +779,7 @@ fontification, see `antlr-font-lock-keywords-alist'.
 
 While calculating the decoration level for actions, `major-mode' is
 bound to `antlr-language'.  For example, with value
-  \((java-mode \. 2) (c++-mode \. 0))
+  ((java-mode . 2) (c++-mode . 0))
 Java actions are fontified with level 2 and C++ actions are not
 fontified at all."
   :group 'antlr
@@ -817,7 +817,7 @@ Do not change the value of this constant.")
      c++-font-lock-keywords-3))
   "List of font-lock keywords for actions in the grammar.
 Each element in this list looks like
-  \(MAJOR-MODE KEYWORD...)
+  (MAJOR-MODE KEYWORD...)
 
 If `antlr-language' is equal to MAJOR-MODE, the KEYWORDs are the
 font-lock keywords according to `font-lock-defaults' used for the code
@@ -1570,8 +1570,8 @@ Inserting an option with this command works as follows:
  4. Ask user for confirmation if the given OPTION does not seem to be a
     valid option to insert into the current file.
  5. Find a correct position to insert the option.
- 6. Depending on the option, insert it the following way \(inserting an
-    option also means inserting the option section if necessary\):
+ 6. Depending on the option, insert it the following way (inserting an
+    option also means inserting the option section if necessary):
      - Insert the option and let user insert the value at point.
      - Read a value (with completion) from the minibuffer, using a
        previous value as initial contents, and insert option with value.
@@ -1687,9 +1687,9 @@ Return \(LEVEL OPTION LOCATION)."
 (defun antlr-option-kind (requested)
   "Return level and location for option to insert near point.
 Call function `antlr-option-level' with argument REQUESTED.  If the
-result is nil, return \(REQUESTED \. error).  If the result has the
-non-nil value LEVEL, return \(LEVEL \. LOCATION) where LOCATION looks
-like \(AREA \. PLACE), see `antlr-option-location'."
+result is nil, return \(REQUESTED . error).  If the result has the
+non-nil value LEVEL, return \(LEVEL . LOCATION) where LOCATION looks
+like \(AREA . PLACE), see `antlr-option-location'."
   (save-excursion
     (save-restriction
       (let ((min0 (point-min))          ; before `widen'!
@@ -1845,7 +1845,7 @@ WARNING: this may alter `match-data'."
 (defun antlr-insert-option-do (level option old area pos)
   "Insert option into buffer at position POS.
 Insert option of level LEVEL and name OPTION.  If OLD is non-nil, an
-options area is already exists.  If OLD looks like \(BEG \. END), the
+options area is already exists.  If OLD looks like \(BEG . END), the
 option already exists.  Then, BEG is the start position of the option
 value, the position of the `=' or nil, and END is the end position of
 the option value or nil.
@@ -2104,7 +2104,7 @@ Called in PHASE `before-input', see `antlr-options-alists'."
 
 (defun antlr-file-dependencies ()
   "Return dependencies for grammar in current buffer.
-The result looks like \(FILE \(CLASSES \. SUPERS) VOCABS \. LANGUAGE)
+The result looks like \(FILE \(CLASSES . SUPERS) VOCABS . LANGUAGE)
   where CLASSES = ((CLASS . CLASS-EVOCAB) ...),
         SUPERS  = ((SUPER . USE-EVOCAB-P) ...), and
         VOCABS  = ((EVOCAB ...) . (IVOCAB ...))
@@ -2168,8 +2168,8 @@ its export vocabulary is used as an import vocabulary."
 
 (defun antlr-directory-dependencies (dirname)
   "Return dependencies for all grammar files in directory DIRNAME.
-The result looks like \((CLASS-SPEC ...) \. \(FILE-DEP ...))
-  where CLASS-SPEC = (CLASS (FILE \. EVOCAB) ...).
+The result looks like \((CLASS-SPEC ...) . \(FILE-DEP ...))
+  where CLASS-SPEC = (CLASS (FILE . EVOCAB) ...).
 
 FILE-DEP are the dependencies for each grammar file in DIRNAME, see
 `antlr-file-dependencies'.  For each grammar class CLASS, FILE is a
@@ -2220,7 +2220,7 @@ The result looks like \(OPTION WITH-UNKNOWN GLIB ...).  OPTION is the
 complete \"-glib\" option.  WITH-UNKNOWN is t if there is none or more
 than one grammar file for at least one super grammar.
 
-Each GLIB looks like \(GRAMMAR-FILE \. EVOCAB).  GRAMMAR-FILE is a file
+Each GLIB looks like \(GRAMMAR-FILE . EVOCAB).  GRAMMAR-FILE is a file
 in which a super-grammar is defined.  EVOCAB is the value of the export
 vocabulary of the super-grammar or nil if it is not needed."
   ;; If the superclass is defined in the same file, that file will be included
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cc-align.el b/lisp/progmodes/cc-align.el
index b0c4a6425bf..1e3cb8e16f9 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cc-align.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cc-align.el
@@ -1075,7 +1075,7 @@ Works with: brace-list-entry, brace-entry-open, statement,
 arglist-cont."
   (save-excursion
     (goto-char (c-langelem-pos langelem))
-    (when (looking-at "\\s\(")
+    (when (looking-at "\\s(")
       (if (c-go-up-list-backward)
           (let ((pos (point)))
             (back-to-indentation)
@@ -1093,24 +1093,24 @@ v beg of preceding constr      v beg of preceding constr
 const char msg[] =             if (!running)
   \"Some text.\";                error(\"Not running!\");
 
-#define X(A, B)  \           #define X(A, B)    \
-do {             \    <->      do {             \    <- c-lineup-cpp-define
-  printf (A, B); \               printf (A, B); \
+#define X(A, B)  \\           #define X(A, B)    \\
+do {             \\    <->      do {             \\    <- c-lineup-cpp-define
+  printf (A, B); \\               printf (A, B); \\
 } while (0)                    } while (0)
 
 If `c-syntactic-indentation-in-macros' is non-nil, the function
 returns the relative indentation to the macro start line to allow
 accumulation with other offsets.  E.g. in the following cases,
 cpp-define-intro is combined with the statement-block-intro that comes
-from the \"do {\" that hangs on the \"#define\" line:
+from the `do {' that hangs on the `#define' line:
 
                              int dribble() {
 const char msg[] =             if (!running)
   \"Some text.\";                error(\"Not running!\");
 
-#define X(A, B) do { \       #define X(A, B) do { \
-  printf (A, B);     \  <->      printf (A, B);   \  <- c-lineup-cpp-define
-  this->refs++;      \           this->refs++;    \
+#define X(A, B) do { \\       #define X(A, B) do { \\
+  printf (A, B);     \\  <->      printf (A, B);   \\  <- c-lineup-cpp-define
+  this->refs++;      \\           this->refs++;    \\
 } while (0)             <->    } while (0)           <- c-lineup-cpp-define
 
 The relative indentation returned by `c-lineup-cpp-define' is zero and
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cc-awk.el b/lisp/progmodes/cc-awk.el
index 337fdc800b1..077a18cc597 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cc-awk.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cc-awk.el
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@
 (defconst c-awk-neutrals*-re
   (concat "\\(" c-awk-neutral-re "\\)*"))
 ;;   A (possibly empty) string of neutral characters (or character pairs).
-(defconst c-awk-var-num-ket-re "[]\)0-9a-zA-Z_$.\x80-\xff]+")
+(defconst c-awk-var-num-ket-re "[])0-9a-zA-Z_$.\x80-\xff]+")
 ;;   Matches a char which is a constituent of a variable or number, or a ket
 ;; (i.e. closing bracKET), round or square.  Assume that all characters \x80 to
 ;; \xff are "letters".
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@
 ;; will only work when there won't be a preceding " or / before the sought /
 ;; to foul things up.
 (defconst c-awk-non-arith-op-bra-re
-  "[[\({&=:!><,?;'~|]")
+  "[[({&=:!><,?;'~|]")
 ;;   Matches an opening BRAcket (of any sort), or any operator character
 ;; apart from +,-,/,*,%.  For the purpose at hand (detecting a / which is a
 ;; regexp bracket) these arith ops are unnecessary and a pain, because of "++"
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@
 ;; Matches optional whitespace followed by a "/" with string syntax (a matched
 ;; regexp delimiter).
 (defconst c-awk-space*-unclosed-regexp-/-re
-  (concat c-awk-escaped-nls*-with-space* "\\s\|"))
+  (concat c-awk-escaped-nls*-with-space* "\\s|"))
 ;; Matches optional whitespace followed by a "/" with string fence syntax (an
 ;; unmatched regexp delimiter).
 
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cc-cmds.el b/lisp/progmodes/cc-cmds.el
index 0e249bd4212..32ce8c6a249 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cc-cmds.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cc-cmds.el
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ the function `delete-forward-p' is defined and returns non-nil, it
 deletes forward.  Otherwise it deletes backward.
 
 Note: This is the way in XEmacs to choose the correct action for the
-\[delete] key, whichever key that means.  Other flavors don't use this
+[delete] key, whichever key that means.  Other flavors don't use this
 function to control that."
   (interactive "*P")
   (if (and (fboundp 'delete-forward-p)
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ forward using `c-hungry-delete-forward'.  Otherwise it deletes
 backward using `c-hungry-backspace'.
 
 Note: This is the way in XEmacs to choose the correct action for the
-\[delete] key, whichever key that means.  Other flavors don't use this
+[delete] key, whichever key that means.  Other flavors don't use this
 function to control that."
   (interactive)
   (if (and (fboundp 'delete-forward-p)
@@ -1143,9 +1143,9 @@ numeric argument is supplied, or the point is inside a literal."
                            (eq (char-before) ?<))
                          (progn
                            (backward-char)
-                           (looking-at "\\s\("))))
+                           (looking-at "\\s("))))
                     (and (eq (char-after) ?<)
-                         (not (looking-at "\\s\("))
+                         (not (looking-at "\\s("))
                          (progn (c-backward-syntactic-ws)
                                 (c-simple-skip-symbol-backward))
                          (or (looking-at c-opt-<>-sexp-key)
@@ -1380,13 +1380,13 @@ No indentation or other \"electric\" behavior is performed."
                 ;; be the return type of a function, or the like.  Exclude
                 ;; this case.
                 (c-syntactic-re-search-forward
-                 (concat "[;=\(\[{]\\|\\("
+                 (concat "[;=([{]\\|\\("
                          c-opt-block-decls-with-vars-key
                          "\\)")
                  eo-block t t t)
                 (match-beginning 1)     ; Is there a "struct" etc., somewhere?
                 (not (eq (char-before) ?_))
-                (c-syntactic-re-search-forward "[;=\(\[{]" eo-block t t t)
+                (c-syntactic-re-search-forward "[;=([{]" eo-block t t t)
                 (eq (char-before) ?\{)
                 bod)))))
 
@@ -4455,7 +4455,7 @@ is in situations like the following:
 
 char description[] = \"\\
 A very long description of something that you want to fill to make
-nicely formatted output.\"\;
+nicely formatted output.\";
 
 If point is in any other situation, i.e. in normal code, do nothing.
 
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cc-defs.el b/lisp/progmodes/cc-defs.el
index 0422ca0b028..6bd58159fce 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cc-defs.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cc-defs.el
@@ -500,10 +500,10 @@ even if the user undoes the command which set them.
 
 This macro should ALWAYS be placed around \"temporary\" internal buffer
 changes \(like adding a newline to calculate a text-property then
-deleting it again\), so that the user never sees them on his
+deleting it again), so that the user never sees them on his
 `buffer-undo-list'.  See also `c-tentative-buffer-changes'.
 
-However, any user-visible changes to the buffer \(like auto-newlines\)
+However, any user-visible changes to the buffer \(like auto-newlines)
 must not be within a `c-save-buffer-state', since the user then
 wouldn't be able to undo them.
 
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cc-engine.el b/lisp/progmodes/cc-engine.el
index 82f0d722d03..6382b145211 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cc-engine.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cc-engine.el
@@ -1060,7 +1060,7 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
                           (save-excursion
                             (c-forward-sexp) (point)))
                          ;; Just gone back over some paren block?
-                         ((looking-at "\\s\(")
+                         ((looking-at "\\s(")
                           (save-excursion
                             (goto-char (1+ (c-down-list-backward
                                             before-sws-pos)))
@@ -1233,7 +1233,7 @@ The variable `c-maybe-labelp' is set to the position of the first `:' that
 might start a label (i.e. not part of `::' and not preceded by `?').  If a
 single `?' is found, then `c-maybe-labelp' is cleared.
 
-For AWK, a statement which is terminated by an EOL (not a \; or a }) is
+For AWK, a statement which is terminated by an EOL (not a ; or a }) is
 regarded as having a \"virtual semicolon\" immediately after the last token on
 the line.  If this virtual semicolon is _at_ from, the function recognizes it.
 
@@ -3792,8 +3792,8 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
 
 (defconst c-jump-syntax-balanced
   (if (memq 'gen-string-delim c-emacs-features)
-      "\\w\\|\\s_\\|\\s\(\\|\\s\)\\|\\s\"\\|\\s|"
-    "\\w\\|\\s_\\|\\s\(\\|\\s\)\\|\\s\""))
+      "\\w\\|\\s_\\|\\s(\\|\\s)\\|\\s\"\\|\\s|"
+    "\\w\\|\\s_\\|\\s(\\|\\s)\\|\\s\""))
 
 (defconst c-jump-syntax-unbalanced
   (if (memq 'gen-string-delim c-emacs-features)
@@ -3960,7 +3960,7 @@ See `c-forward-token-2' for details."
 tokens like \"==\" as single tokens, i.e. all sequences of symbol
 characters are jumped over character by character.  This function is
 for compatibility only; it's only a wrapper over `c-forward-token-2'."
-  (let ((c-nonsymbol-token-regexp "\\s.\\|\\s\(\\|\\s\)"))
+  (let ((c-nonsymbol-token-regexp "\\s."))
     (c-forward-token-2 count balanced limit)))
 
 (defun c-backward-token-1 (&optional count balanced limit)
@@ -3968,7 +3968,7 @@ for compatibility only; it's only a wrapper over `c-forward-token-2'."
 tokens like \"==\" as single tokens, i.e. all sequences of symbol
 characters are jumped over character by character.  This function is
 for compatibility only; it's only a wrapper over `c-backward-token-2'."
-  (let ((c-nonsymbol-token-regexp "\\s.\\|\\s\(\\|\\s\)"))
+  (let ((c-nonsymbol-token-regexp "\\s."))
     (c-backward-token-2 count balanced limit)))
 
 
@@ -7124,7 +7124,7 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
                        (setq paren-depth (1- paren-depth))
                        (forward-char)
                        t)
-                   (when (if (save-match-data (looking-at "\\s\("))
+                   (when (if (save-match-data (looking-at "\\s("))
                              (c-safe (c-forward-sexp 1) t)
                            (goto-char (match-end 1))
                            t)
@@ -7198,7 +7198,7 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
 
          (setq at-decl-end
                (looking-at (cond ((eq context '<>) "[,>]")
-                                 (context "[,\)]")
+                                 (context "[,)]")
                                  (t "[,;]"))))
 
          ;; Now we've collected info about various characteristics of
@@ -7522,7 +7522,7 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
          ;; The closing paren should follow.
          (progn
            (c-forward-syntactic-ws)
-           (looking-at "\\s\)"))
+           (looking-at "\\s)"))
 
          ;; There should be a primary expression after it.
          (let (pos)
@@ -7919,7 +7919,7 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
 
           (catch 'break
             ;; Look for ": superclass-name" or "( category-name )".
-            (when (looking-at "[:\(]")
+            (when (looking-at "[:(]")
               (setq start-char (char-after))
               (forward-char)
               (c-forward-syntactic-ws)
@@ -8434,7 +8434,7 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
                             ;; Check for `c-opt-block-decls-with-vars-key'
                             ;; before the first paren.
                             (c-syntactic-re-search-forward
-                             (concat "[;=\(\[{]\\|\\("
+                             (concat "[;=([{]\\|\\("
                                      c-opt-block-decls-with-vars-key
                                      "\\)")
                              lim t t t)
@@ -8442,7 +8442,7 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
                             (not (eq (char-before) ?_))
                             ;; Check that the first following paren is
                             ;; the block.
-                            (c-syntactic-re-search-forward "[;=\(\[{]"
+                            (c-syntactic-re-search-forward "[;=([{]"
                                                            lim t t t)
                             (eq (char-before) ?{)))))))
             ;; The declaration doesn't have any of the
@@ -8961,7 +8961,7 @@ comment at the start of cc-engine.el for more info."
                          (> (point) closest-lim))
                   (not (bobp))
                   (progn (backward-char)
-                         (looking-at "[\]\).]\\|\\w\\|\\s_"))
+                         (looking-at "[]).]\\|\\w\\|\\s_"))
                   (c-safe (forward-char)
                           (goto-char (scan-sexps (point) -1))))
 
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cc-fonts.el b/lisp/progmodes/cc-fonts.el
index f05d6a06595..ad112d720d8 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cc-fonts.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cc-fonts.el
@@ -575,10 +575,10 @@ stuff.  Used on level 1 and higher."
                                c-symbol-key) "\\)"
                         (concat "\\("   ; 2 + ncle + nsws + c-sym-key
                                 ;; Macro with arguments - a "function".
-                                "\\(\(\\)" ; 3 + ncle + nsws + c-sym-key
+                                "\\((\\)" ; 3 + ncle + nsws + c-sym-key
                                 "\\|"
                                 ;; Macro without arguments - a "variable".
-                                "\\([^\(]\\|$\\)"
+                                "\\([^(]\\|$\\)"
                                 "\\)"))
                        `((if (match-beginning
                               ,(+ 3 ncle-depth nsws-depth
@@ -1082,7 +1082,7 @@ casts and declarations are fontified.  Used on level 2 and higher."
 
             ;; Search syntactically to the end of the declarator (";",
             ;; ",", a closing paren, eob etc) or to the beginning of an
-            ;; initializer or function prototype ("=" or "\\s\(").
+            ;; initializer or function prototype ("=" or "\\s(").
             ;; Note that square brackets are now not also treated as
             ;; initializers, since this broke when there were also
             ;; initializing brace lists.
@@ -1867,7 +1867,7 @@ higher."
                 "\\)\\>"
                 ;; Disallow various common punctuation chars that can't come
                 ;; before the '{' of the enum list, to avoid searching too far.
-                "[^\]\[{}();/#=]*"
+                "[^][{}();/#=]*"
                 "{")
                '((c-font-lock-declarators limit t nil)
                  (save-match-data
@@ -2112,7 +2112,7 @@ need for `c-font-lock-extra-types'.")
                   (unless (looking-at
                            (cc-eval-when-compile
                              (concat (c-lang-const c-symbol-start c++)
-                                     "\\|[*:\)\[]")))
+                                     "\\|[*:)[]")))
                     ;; There's something after the would-be type that
                     ;; can't be there, so this is a placement arglist.
                     (setq expr1-res nil)))
@@ -2122,7 +2122,7 @@ need for `c-font-lock-extra-types'.")
                   (unless (looking-at
                            (cc-eval-when-compile
                              (concat (c-lang-const c-symbol-start c++)
-                                     "\\|[*:\)\[]")))
+                                     "\\|[*:)[]")))
                     ;; There's something after the would-be type that can't
                     ;; be there, so this is an initialization expression.
                     (setq expr2-res nil))
@@ -2675,7 +2675,7 @@ need for `pike-font-lock-extra-types'.")
   nil)
 
 (defconst autodoc-font-lock-doc-comments
-  `(("@\\(\\w+{\\|\\[\\([^\]@\n\r]\\|@@\\)*\\]\\|[@}]\\|$\\)"
+  `(("@\\(\\w+{\\|\\[\\([^]@\n\r]\\|@@\\)*\\]\\|[@}]\\|$\\)"
      ;; In-text markup.
      0 ,c-doc-markup-face-name prepend nil)
     (autodoc-font-lock-line-markup)
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cc-langs.el b/lisp/progmodes/cc-langs.el
index dcd51164ce8..7cda5ceaf1d 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cc-langs.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cc-langs.el
@@ -870,7 +870,7 @@ definition, or nil if the language doesn't have any."
   t (if (c-lang-const c-opt-cpp-macro-define)
         (concat (c-lang-const c-opt-cpp-prefix)
                 (c-lang-const c-opt-cpp-macro-define)
-                "[ \t]+\\(\\(\\sw\\|_\\)+\\)\\(\([^\)]*\)\\)?"
+                "[ \t]+\\(\\(\\sw\\|_\\)+\\)\\(([^)]*)\\)?"
                 ;;       ^                 ^ #defined name
                 "\\([ \t]\\|\\\\\n\\)*")))
 (c-lang-defvar c-opt-cpp-macro-define-start
@@ -1190,7 +1190,7 @@ operators."
   t (c-make-keywords-re nil
       (c-filter-ops (c-lang-const c-all-op-syntax-tokens)
                     t
-                    "\\`\\(\\s.\\|\\s\(\\|\\s\)\\)+\\'")))
+                    "\\`\\(\\s.\\)+\\'")))
 (c-lang-defvar c-nonsymbol-token-regexp
   (c-lang-const c-nonsymbol-token-regexp))
 
@@ -1694,7 +1694,7 @@ be a subset of `c-primitive-type-kwds'."
             "strong"))
 
 (c-lang-defconst c-typedef-kwds
-  "Prefix keyword\(s\) like \"typedef\" which make a type declaration out
+  "Prefix keyword(s) like \"typedef\" which make a type declaration out
 of a variable declaration."
   t        '("typedef")
   (awk idl java) nil)
@@ -2202,7 +2202,7 @@ regexp if `c-colon-type-list-kwds' isn't nil."
         ;; before the ":" that starts the inherit list after "class"
         ;; or "struct" in C++.  (Also used as default for other
         ;; languages.)
-        "[^\]\[{}();,/#=:]*:"))
+        "[^][{}();,/#=:]*:"))
 (c-lang-defvar c-colon-type-list-re (c-lang-const c-colon-type-list-re))
 
 (c-lang-defconst c-paren-nontype-kwds
@@ -2366,7 +2366,7 @@ nevertheless contains a list separated with `;' and not `,'."
 (c-lang-defvar c-opt-asm-stmt-key (c-lang-const c-opt-asm-stmt-key))
 
 (c-lang-defconst c-case-kwds
-  "The keyword\(s) which introduce a \"case\" like construct.
+  "The keyword(s) which introduce a \"case\" like construct.
 This construct is \"<keyword> <expression> :\"."
   t '("case")
   awk nil)
@@ -2729,25 +2729,25 @@ more info."
   ;; more quickly.  We match ")" in C for K&R region declarations, and
   ;; in all languages except Java for when a cpp macro definition
   ;; begins with a declaration.
-  t "\\([\{\}\(\);,]+\\)"
-  java "\\([\{\}\(;,<]+\\)"
+  t "\\([{}();,]+\\)"
+  java "\\([{}(;,<]+\\)"
   ;; Match "<" in C++ to get the first argument in a template arglist.
   ;; In that case there's an additional check in `c-find-decl-spots'
   ;; that it got open paren syntax.  Match ":" to aid in picking up
   ;; "public:", etc.  This involves additional checks in
   ;; `c-find-decl-prefix-search' to prevent a match of identifiers
   ;; or labels.
-  c++ "\\([\{\}\(\);:,<]+\\)"
+  c++ "\\([{}();:,<]+\\)"
   ;; Additionally match the protection directives in Objective-C.
   ;; Note that this doesn't cope with the longer directives, which we
   ;; would have to match from start to end since they don't end with
   ;; any easily recognized characters.
-  objc (concat "\\([\{\}\(\);,]+\\|"
+  objc (concat "\\([{}();,]+\\|"
                (c-make-keywords-re nil (c-lang-const c-protection-kwds))
                "\\)")
   ;; Pike is like C but we also match "[" for multiple value
   ;; assignments and type casts.
-  pike "\\([\{\}\(\)\[;,]+\\)")
+  pike "\\([{}()[;,]+\\)")
 (c-lang-defvar c-decl-prefix-re (c-lang-const c-decl-prefix-re)
   'dont-doc)
 
@@ -2792,7 +2792,7 @@ constructs."
   ;; languages without casts.
   t (c-filter-ops (c-lang-const c-operators)
                   '(prefix)
-                  "\\`\\s\(\\'"
+                  "\\`\\s(\\'"
                   (lambda (op) (elt op 0))))
 (c-lang-defvar c-cast-parens (c-lang-const c-cast-parens))
 
@@ -2875,13 +2875,13 @@ Identifier syntax is in effect when this is matched \(see
   ;; Check that there's no "=" afterwards to avoid matching tokens
   ;; like "*=".
   (c objc) (concat "\\("
-                   "[*\(]"
+                   "[*(]"
                    "\\|"
                    (c-lang-const c-type-decl-prefix-key)
                    "\\)"
                    "\\([^=]\\|$\\)")
   c++  (concat "\\("
-               "[*\(&]"
+               "[*(&]"
                "\\|"
                (c-lang-const c-type-decl-prefix-key)
                "\\|"
@@ -2909,13 +2909,13 @@ is in effect when this is matched (see `c-identifier-syntax-table')."
   ;; Default to a regexp that matches `c-type-modifier-kwds' and a
   ;; function argument list parenthesis.
   t    (if (c-lang-const c-type-modifier-kwds)
-           (concat "\\(\(\\|"
+           (concat "\\((\\|"
                    (regexp-opt (c-lang-const c-type-modifier-kwds) t) "\\>"
                    "\\)")
-         "\\(\(\\)")
+         "\\((\\)")
   (c c++ objc) (concat
                 "\\("
-                "[\)\[\(]"
+                "[)[(]"
                 (if (c-lang-const c-type-modifier-kwds)
                     (concat
                      "\\|"
@@ -2926,8 +2926,8 @@ is in effect when this is matched (see `c-identifier-syntax-table')."
                      "\\>")
                   "")
                 "\\)")
-  java "\\([\[\(\)]\\)"
-  idl "\\([\[\(]\\)")
+  java "\\([[()]\\)"
+  idl "\\([[(]\\)")
 (c-lang-defvar c-type-decl-suffix-key (c-lang-const c-type-decl-suffix-key)
   'dont-doc)
 
@@ -3111,7 +3111,7 @@ i.e. compound statements surrounded by parentheses inside expressions."
   t (if (c-lang-const c-opt-<>-arglist-start)
         (concat "\\("
                 (c-lang-const c-opt-<>-arglist-start)
-                "\\)\\|\\s\)")))
+                "\\)\\|\\s)")))
 (c-lang-defvar c-opt-<>-arglist-start-in-paren
   (c-lang-const c-opt-<>-arglist-start-in-paren))
 
@@ -3168,7 +3168,7 @@ i.e. before \":\".  Only used if `c-recognize-colon-labels' is set."
   ;; Also check for open parens in C++, to catch member init lists in
   ;; constructors.  We normally allow it so that macros with arguments
   ;; work in labels.
-  c++ (concat "\\s\(\\|\"\\|" (c-lang-const c-nonlabel-token-key)))
+  c++ (concat "\\s(\\|\"\\|" (c-lang-const c-nonlabel-token-key)))
 (c-lang-defvar c-nonlabel-token-key (c-lang-const c-nonlabel-token-key))
 
 (c-lang-defconst c-nonlabel-token-2-key
@@ -3216,7 +3216,7 @@ way."
         "\\([+-]\\)"
         (c-lang-const c-simple-ws) "*"
         (concat "\\("                   ; Return type.
-                "([^\)]*)"
+                "([^)]*)"
                 (c-lang-const c-simple-ws) "*"
                 "\\)?")
         "\\(" (c-lang-const c-symbol-key) "\\)"))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cc-vars.el b/lisp/progmodes/cc-vars.el
index da36647f2cd..9afece9e30b 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cc-vars.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cc-vars.el
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ nil."
 If t, hitting TAB always just indents the current line.  If nil, hitting
 TAB indents the current line if point is at the left margin or in the
 line's indentation, otherwise it inserts a `real' tab character \(see
-note\).  If some other value (not nil or t), then tab is inserted only
+note).  If some other value \(not nil or t), then tab is inserted only
 within literals \(comments and strings), but the line is always
 reindented.
 
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cfengine.el b/lisp/progmodes/cfengine.el
index 96bb8d3a112..78c8d94576b 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cfengine.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cfengine.el
@@ -1005,12 +1005,12 @@ Intended as the value of `indent-line-function'."
                                    (point))))
       (let ((paragraph-start
              ;; Include start of parenthesized block.
-             "\f\\|[ \t]*$\\|.*\(")
+             "\f\\|[ \t]*$\\|.*(")
             (paragraph-separate
              ;; Include action and class lines, start and end of
              ;; bracketed blocks and end of parenthesized blocks to
              ;; avoid including these in fill.  This isn't ideal.
-             "[ \t\f]*$\\|.*#\\|.*[\){}]\\|\\s-*[[:alpha:]_().|!]+:")
+             "[ \t\f]*$\\|.*#\\|.*[){}]\\|\\s-*[[:alpha:]_().|!]+:")
             fill-paragraph-function)
         (fill-paragraph justify))
       t))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cmacexp.el b/lisp/progmodes/cmacexp.el
index 005e71a825e..0f5b1bb8c6a 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cmacexp.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cmacexp.el
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ Optional arg DISPLAY non-nil means show messages in the echo area."
                 ;; the way of font-lock, highlighting etc.
                 (insert
                  (format
-                  "/* Preprocessor terminated with status %s\n\n   Messages from '%s\':\n\n"
+                  "/* Preprocessor terminated with status %s\n\n   Messages from '%s':\n\n"
                   exit-status cppcommand))
                 (goto-char (+ (point)
                               (nth 1 (insert-file-contents tempname))))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/compile.el b/lisp/progmodes/compile.el
index a6e9ed8889a..f9c097e00ec 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/compile.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/compile.el
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ of[ \t]+\"?\\([a-zA-Z]?:?[^\":\n]+\\)\"?:" 3 2 nil (1))
 
     (cucumber
      "\\(?:^cucumber\\(?: -p [^[:space:]]+\\)?\\|#\\)\
-\\(?: \\)\\([^\(].*\\):\\([1-9][0-9]*\\)" 1 2)
+\\(?: \\)\\([^(].*\\):\\([1-9][0-9]*\\)" 1 2)
 
     (msft
      ;; Must be before edg-1, so that MSVC's longer messages are
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ of[ \t]+\"?\\([a-zA-Z]?:?[^\":\n]+\\)\"?:" 3 2 nil (1))
      1 2 3 (4 . 5))
 
     (ruby-Test::Unit
-     "^[\t ]*\\[\\([^\(].*\\):\\([1-9][0-9]*\\)\\(\\]\\)?:in " 1 2)
+     "^[\t ]*\\[\\([^(].*\\):\\([1-9][0-9]*\\)\\(\\]\\)?:in " 1 2)
 
     (gnu
      ;; The first line matches the program name for
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ File = \\(.+\\), Line = \\([0-9]+\\)\\(?:, Column = \\([0-9]+\\)\\)?"
      3 4 5 (1 . 2))
 
     (sun-ada
-     "^\\([^, \n\t]+\\), line \\([0-9]+\\), char \\([0-9]+\\)[:., \(-]" 1 2 3)
+     "^\\([^, \n\t]+\\), line \\([0-9]+\\), char \\([0-9]+\\)[:., (-]" 1 2 3)
 
     (watcom
      "^[ \t]*\\(\\(?:[a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\)(\\([0-9]+\\)): ?\
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/cperl-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/cperl-mode.el
index 528bc44f8a8..ab3aa7f993a 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/cperl-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/cperl-mode.el
@@ -395,12 +395,12 @@ Affects: `cperl-font-lock', `cperl-electric-lbrace-space',
   :type 'boolean
   :group 'cperl-indentation-details)
 
-(defcustom cperl-vc-sccs-header '("($sccs) = ('%W\%' =~ /(\\d+(\\.\\d+)+)/) ;")
+(defcustom cperl-vc-sccs-header '("($sccs) = ('%W\ %' =~ /(\\d+(\\.\\d+)+)/) ;")
   "*Special version of `vc-sccs-header' that is used in CPerl mode buffers."
   :type '(repeat string)
   :group 'cperl)
 
-(defcustom cperl-vc-rcs-header '("($rcs) = (' $Id\$ ' =~ /(\\d+(\\.\\d+)+)/);")
+(defcustom cperl-vc-rcs-header '("($rcs) = (' $Id\ $ ' =~ /(\\d+(\\.\\d+)+)/);")
   "*Special version of `vc-rcs-header' that is used in CPerl mode buffers."
   :type '(repeat string)
      :group 'cperl)
@@ -793,7 +793,7 @@ corrected problems are: POD sections, here-documents, regexps.  The
 operations are: highlighting, indentation, electric keywords, electric
 braces.
 
-This may be confusing, since the regexp s#//#/#\; may be highlighted
+This may be confusing, since the regexp s#//#/#; may be highlighted
 as a comment, but it will be recognized as a regexp by the indentation
 code.  Or the opposite case, when a POD section is highlighted, but
 may break the indentation of the following code (though indentation
@@ -4585,13 +4585,13 @@ the sections using `cperl-pod-head-face', `cperl-pod-face',
                                          ((eq (char-after b) ?\: )
                                           "\\\\*\\[\\\\:\\^?\\sw+\\\\:]")
                                          ((eq (char-after b) ?^ )
-                                          "\\\\*\\[:\\(\\\\\\^\\)?\\sw+:\]")
+                                          "\\\\*\\[:\\(\\\\\\^\\)?\\sw+:]")
                                          ((eq (char-syntax (char-after b))
                                               ?w)
                                           (concat
                                            "\\\\*\\[:\\(\\\\\\^\\)?\\(\\\\"
                                            (char-to-string (char-after b))
-                                           "\\|\\sw\\)+:\]"))
+                                           "\\|\\sw\\)+:]"))
                                          (t "\\\\*\\[:\\^?\\sw*:]")))
                                        (goto-char REx-subgr-end)
                                        (cperl-highlight-charclass
@@ -5706,7 +5706,7 @@ indentation and initial hashes.  Behaves usually outside of comment."
                  "redo" "return" "local" "exec" "sub" "do" "dump" "use" "our"
                  "require" "package" "eval" "my" "BEGIN" "END" "CHECK" "INIT")
                "\\|")                   ; Flow control
-              "\\)\\>") 2)              ; was "\\)[ \n\t;():,\|&]"
+              "\\)\\>") 2)              ; was "\\)[ \n\t;():,|&]"
                                         ; In what follows we use `type' style
                                         ; for overwritable builtins
             (list
@@ -5850,7 +5850,7 @@ indentation and initial hashes.  Behaves usually outside of comment."
                       (1 font-lock-string-face t))))
                   (t '("\\([]}\\\\%@>*&]\\|\\$[a-zA-Z0-9_:]*\\)[ \t]*{[ \t]*\\(-?[a-zA-Z0-9_:]+\\)[ \t]*}"
                        2 font-lock-string-face t)))
-            '("[\[ \t{,(]\\(-?[a-zA-Z0-9_:]+\\)[ \t]*=>" 1
+            '("[[ \t{,(]\\(-?[a-zA-Z0-9_:]+\\)[ \t]*=>" 1
               font-lock-string-face t)
             '("^[ \t]*\\([a-zA-Z0-9_]+[ \t]*:\\)[ \t]*\\($\\|{\\|\\<\\(until\\|while\\|for\\(each\\)?\\|do\\)\\>\\)" 1
               font-lock-constant-face)  ; labels
@@ -5935,7 +5935,7 @@ indentation and initial hashes.  Behaves usually outside of comment."
                  (and (string< "21.1.10" emacs-version)
                       (string< emacs-version "21.1.2")))
                 '(
-                  ("\\(\\([@%]\\|\$#\\)[a-zA-Z_:][a-zA-Z0-9_:]*\\)" 1
+                  ("\\(\\([@%]\\|\\$#\\)[a-zA-Z_:][a-zA-Z0-9_:]*\\)" 1
                    (if (eq (char-after (match-beginning 2)) ?%)
                        'cperl-hash-face
                      'cperl-array-face)
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/dcl-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/dcl-mode.el
index 4c997bdd4d0..8c8bef06ecc 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/dcl-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/dcl-mode.el
@@ -259,12 +259,12 @@ never indented."
   :group 'dcl)
 
 (defcustom dcl-imenu-generic-expression
-  `((nil "^\\$[ \t]*\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\):[ \t]+SUBROUTINE\\b" 1)
+  `((nil "^\\$[ \t]*\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\):[ \t]+SUBROUTINE\\b" 1)
     (,dcl-imenu-label-labels
-     "^\\$[ \t]*\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\):\\([ \t]\\|$\\)" 1)
-    (,dcl-imenu-label-goto "\\s-GOTO[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\)" 1)
-    (,dcl-imenu-label-gosub "\\s-GOSUB[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\)" 1)
-    (,dcl-imenu-label-call "\\s-CALL[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\)" 1))
+     "^\\$[ \t]*\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\):\\([ \t]\\|$\\)" 1)
+    (,dcl-imenu-label-goto "\\s-GOTO[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\)" 1)
+    (,dcl-imenu-label-gosub "\\s-GOSUB[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\)" 1)
+    (,dcl-imenu-label-call "\\s-CALL[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\)" 1))
   "Default imenu generic expression for DCL.
 
 The default includes SUBROUTINE labels in the main listing and
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ followed by space or tab."
 
 
 (defcustom dcl-label-r
-  "[a-zA-Z0-9_\$]*:\\([ \t!]\\|$\\)"
+  "[a-zA-Z0-9_$]*:\\([ \t!]\\|$\\)"
   "Regular expression describing a label.
 A label is a name followed by a colon followed by white-space or end-of-line."
   :type 'regexp
@@ -453,12 +453,12 @@ Preloaded with all known option names from dcl-option-alist")
 ;; above.  This version won't find GOTOs in comments or text strings.
 ;(defvar dcl-imenu-generic-expression
 ;  (`
-;   ((nil "^\\$[ \t]*\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\):[ \t]+SUBROUTINE\\b" 1)
-;    ("Labels" "^\\$[ \t]*\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\):\\([ \t]\\|$\\)" 1)
-;    ("GOTO" (, (concat dcl-cmd-r "GOTO[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\)")) 5)
+;   ((nil "^\\$[ \t]*\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\):[ \t]+SUBROUTINE\\b" 1)
+;    ("Labels" "^\\$[ \t]*\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\):\\([ \t]\\|$\\)" 1)
+;    ("GOTO" (, (concat dcl-cmd-r "GOTO[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\)")) 5)
 ;    ("GOSUB" (, (concat dcl-cmd-r
-;                       "GOSUB[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\)")) 5)
-;    ("CALL" (, (concat dcl-cmd-r "CALL[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_\$]+\\)")) 5)))
+;                       "GOSUB[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\)")) 5)
+;    ("CALL" (, (concat dcl-cmd-r "CALL[ \t]+\\([A-Za-z0-9_$]+\\)")) 5)))
 ;  "*Default imenu generic expression for DCL.
 
 ;The default includes SUBROUTINE labels in the main listing and
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/elisp-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/elisp-mode.el
index 7614bacf1bb..bdc304e0aa5 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/elisp-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/elisp-mode.el
@@ -1247,7 +1247,7 @@ If the current defun is actually a call to `defvar',
 then reset the variable using the initial value expression
 even if the variable already has some other value.
 \(Normally `defvar' does not change the variable's value
-if it already has a value.\)
+if it already has a value.)
 
 Return the result of evaluation."
   ;; FIXME: the print-length/level bindings should only be applied while
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/f90.el b/lisp/progmodes/f90.el
index e8a1ae455ee..0ac59e1a1ea 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/f90.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/f90.el
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@
   :group 'f90-indent)
 
 (defcustom f90-beginning-ampersand t
-  "Non-nil gives automatic insertion of \& at start of continuation line."
+  "Non-nil gives automatic insertion of `&' at start of continuation line."
   :type  'boolean
   :safe  'booleanp
   :group 'f90)
@@ -649,7 +649,7 @@ forall\\|block\\|critical\\)\\)\\_>"
 \\|enumerator\\|procedure\\|\
 logical\\|double[ \t]*precision\\|type[ \t]*(\\(?:\\sw\\|\\s_\\)+)\\|none\\)[ \t]*"
       (1 font-lock-keyword-face) (2 font-lock-type-face))
-    '("\\_<\\(namelist\\|common\\)[ \t]*\/\\(\\(?:\\sw\\|\\s_\\)+\\)?\/"
+    '("\\_<\\(namelist\\|common\\)[ \t]*/\\(\\(?:\\sw\\|\\s_\\)+\\)?\/"
       (1 font-lock-keyword-face) (2 font-lock-constant-face nil t))
     "\\_<else\\([ \t]*if\\|where\\)?\\_>"
     '("\\(&\\)[ \t]*\\(!\\|$\\)"  (1 font-lock-keyword-face))
@@ -954,8 +954,8 @@ Used in the F90 entry in `hs-special-modes-alist'.")
    ;; and also variables of derived type "type (foo)".
    ;; "type, foo" must be a block (?).
    "type[ \t,]\\("
-   "[^i(!\n\"\& \t]\\|"                 ; not-i(
-   "i[^s!\n\"\& \t]\\|"                 ; i not-s
+   "[^i(!\n\"& \t]\\|"                 ; not-i(
+   "i[^s!\n\"& \t]\\|"                 ; i not-s
    "is\\(?:\\sw\\|\\s_\\)\\)\\|"
    ;; "abstract interface" is F2003; "submodule" is F2008.
    "program\\|\\(?:abstract[ \t]*\\)?interface\\|\\(?:sub\\)?module\\|"
@@ -992,9 +992,9 @@ Set subexpression 1 in the match-data to the name of the type."
     found))
 
 (defvar f90-imenu-generic-expression
-  (let ((good-char "[^!\"\&\n \t]") (not-e "[^e!\n\"\& \t]")
-        (not-n "[^n!\n\"\& \t]") (not-d "[^d!\n\"\& \t]")
-        ;; (not-ib "[^i(!\n\"\& \t]") (not-s "[^s!\n\"\& \t]")
+  (let ((good-char "[^!\"&\n \t]") (not-e "[^e!\n\"& \t]")
+        (not-n "[^n!\n\"& \t]") (not-d "[^d!\n\"& \t]")
+        ;; (not-ib "[^i(!\n\"& \t]") (not-s "[^s!\n\"& \t]")
         )
     `((nil "^[ \t0-9]*program[ \t]+\\(\\(?:\\sw\\|\\s_\\)+\\)" 1)
       ("Submodules" "^[ \t0-9]*submodule[ \t]*([^)\n]+)[ \t]*\
@@ -1015,7 +1015,7 @@ Set subexpression 1 in the match-data to the name of the type."
          "\\("
          ;; At least three non-space characters before function/subroutine.
          ;; Check that the last three non-space characters do not spell E N D.
-         "[^!\"\&\n]*\\("
+         "[^!\"&\n]*\\("
          not-e good-char good-char "\\|"
          good-char not-n good-char "\\|"
          good-char good-char not-d "\\)"
@@ -1154,7 +1154,7 @@ Variables controlling indentation style and extra features:
   Non-nil causes `f90-do-auto-fill' to break lines before delimiters
   (default t).
 `f90-beginning-ampersand'
-  Automatic insertion of \& at beginning of continuation lines (default t).
+  Automatic insertion of `&' at beginning of continuation lines (default t).
 `f90-smart-end'
   From an END statement, check and fill the end using matching block start.
   Allowed values are `blink', `no-blink', and nil, which determine
@@ -1378,7 +1378,7 @@ write\\)[ \t]*([^)\n]*)")
    ((looking-at "\\(submodule\\)[ \t]*([^)\n]+)[ \t]*\\(\\(?:\\sw\\|\\s_\\)+\\)\\_>")
     (list (match-string 1) (match-string 2)))
    ((and (not (looking-at "end[ \t]*\\(function\\|subroutine\\)"))
-         (looking-at "[^!'\"\&\n]*\\(function\\|subroutine\\)[ \t]+\
+         (looking-at "[^!'\"&\n]*\\(function\\|subroutine\\)[ \t]+\
 \\(\\(?:\\sw\\|\\s_\\)+\\)"))
     (list (match-string 1) (match-string 2)))))
 ;; Following will match an un-named main program block; however
@@ -2110,7 +2110,7 @@ Like `join-line', but handles F90 syntax."
   (if arg (forward-line 1))
   (when (eq (preceding-char) ?\n)
     (skip-chars-forward " \t")
-    (if (looking-at "\&") (delete-char 1))
+    (if (looking-at "&") (delete-char 1))
     (beginning-of-line)
     (delete-region (point) (1- (point)))
     (skip-chars-backward " \t")
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/flymake.el b/lisp/progmodes/flymake.el
index a9d47431e51..3adadd1386e 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/flymake.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/flymake.el
@@ -826,16 +826,16 @@ Convert it to flymake internal format."
   (append
    '(
      ;; MS Visual C++ 6.0
-     ("\\(\\([a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\)(\\([0-9]+\\)) \: \\(\\(error\\|warning\\|fatal error\\) \\(C[0-9]+\\):[ \t\n]*\\(.+\\)\\)"
+     ("\\(\\([a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\)(\\([0-9]+\\)) : \\(\\(error\\|warning\\|fatal error\\) \\(C[0-9]+\\):[ \t\n]*\\(.+\\)\\)"
       1 3 nil 4)
      ;; jikes
-     ("\\(\\([a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\)\:\\([0-9]+\\)\:[0-9]+\:[0-9]+\:[0-9]+\: \\(\\(Error\\|Warning\\|Caution\\|Semantic Error\\):[ \t\n]*\\(.+\\)\\)"
+     ("\\(\\([a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\):\\([0-9]+\\):[0-9]+:[0-9]+:[0-9]+: \\(\\(Error\\|Warning\\|Caution\\|Semantic Error\\):[ \t\n]*\\(.+\\)\\)"
       1 3 nil 4)
      ;; MS midl
      ("midl[ ]*:[ ]*\\(command line error .*\\)"
       nil nil nil 1)
      ;; MS C#
-     ("\\(\\([a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\)(\\([0-9]+\\),[0-9]+)\: \\(\\(error\\|warning\\|fatal error\\) \\(CS[0-9]+\\):[ \t\n]*\\(.+\\)\\)"
+     ("\\(\\([a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\)(\\([0-9]+\\),[0-9]+): \\(\\(error\\|warning\\|fatal error\\) \\(CS[0-9]+\\):[ \t\n]*\\(.+\\)\\)"
       1 3 nil 4)
      ;; perl
      ("\\(.*\\) at \\([^ \n]+\\) line \\([0-9]+\\)[,.\n]" 2 3 nil 1)
@@ -843,7 +843,7 @@ Convert it to flymake internal format."
      ("\\(?:Parse\\|Fatal\\) error: \\(.*\\) in \\(.*\\) on line \\([0-9]+\\)" 2 3 nil 1)
      ;; LaTeX warnings (fileless) ("\\(LaTeX \\(Warning\\|Error\\): .*\\) on input line \\([0-9]+\\)" 20 3 nil 1)
      ;; ant/javac.  Note this also matches gcc warnings!
-     (" *\\(\\[javac\\] *\\)?\\(\\([a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\)\:\\([0-9]+\\)\\(?:\:[0-9]+\\)?\:[ \t\n]*\\(.+\\)"
+     (" *\\(\\[javac\\] *\\)?\\(\\([a-zA-Z]:\\)?[^:(\t\n]+\\):\\([0-9]+\\)\\(?::[0-9]+\\)?:[ \t\n]*\\(.+\\)"
       2 4 nil 5))
    ;; compilation-error-regexp-alist)
    (flymake-reformat-err-line-patterns-from-compile-el compilation-error-regexp-alist-alist))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/fortran.el b/lisp/progmodes/fortran.el
index ee4733f6e4e..ef470055065 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/fortran.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/fortran.el
@@ -244,8 +244,8 @@ line in region."
 (defcustom fortran-column-ruler-fixed
   "0   4 6  10        20        30        40        5\
 0        60        70\n\
-\[   ]|{   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    \
-\|    |    |    |    |}\n"
+[   ]|{   |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    \
+|    |    |    |    |}\n"
   "String displayed above current line by \\[fortran-column-ruler].
 This variable is used in fixed format mode.
 See the variable `fortran-column-ruler-tab' for TAB format mode."
@@ -257,8 +257,8 @@ See the variable `fortran-column-ruler-tab' for TAB format mode."
 (defcustom fortran-column-ruler-tab
   "0       810        20        30        40        5\
 0        60        70\n\
-\[   ]|  { |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    \
-\|    |    |    |    |}\n"
+[   ]|  { |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    \
+|    |    |    |    |}\n"
   "String displayed above current line by \\[fortran-column-ruler].
 This variable is used in TAB format mode.
 See the variable `fortran-column-ruler-fixed' for fixed format mode."
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/glasses.el b/lisp/progmodes/glasses.el
index 257c3d2a80f..6ee32b0b3ee 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/glasses.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/glasses.el
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ CATEGORY is the overlay category.  If it is nil, use the `glasses' category."
         ;; Parentheses
         (when glasses-separate-parentheses-p
           (goto-char beg)
-          (while (re-search-forward "[a-zA-Z]_*\\(\(\\)" end t)
+          (while (re-search-forward "[a-zA-Z]_*\\((\\)" end t)
             (unless (glasses-parenthesis-exception-p (point-at-bol) (match-end 1))
               (glasses-make-overlay (match-beginning 1) (match-end 1)
                                     'glasses-parenthesis))))))))
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ recognized according to the current value of the variable `glasses-separator'."
               (goto-char (match-beginning 1)))))
         (when glasses-separate-parentheses-p
           (goto-char (point-min))
-          (while (re-search-forward "[a-zA-Z]_*\\( \\)\(" nil t)
+          (while (re-search-forward "[a-zA-Z]_*\\( \\)(" nil t)
             (unless (glasses-parenthesis-exception-p (point-at-bol) (1+ (match-end 1)))
               (replace-match "" t nil nil 1)))))))
   ;; nil must be returned to allow use in write file hooks
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/idlw-shell.el b/lisp/progmodes/idlw-shell.el
index 50ebadf733b..5aeb4ea1a07 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/idlw-shell.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/idlw-shell.el
@@ -732,7 +732,7 @@ it contains an error message, even if hide-output is non-nil.")
 
 (defvar idlwave-shell-pending-commands nil
   "List of commands to be sent to IDL.
-Each element of the list is list of \(CMD PCMD HIDE\), where CMD is a
+Each element of the list is list of \(CMD PCMD HIDE), where CMD is a
 string to be sent to IDL and PCMD is a post-command to be placed on
 `idlwave-shell-post-command-hook'.  If HIDE is non-nil, hide the output
 from command CMD.  PCMD and HIDE are optional.")
@@ -1240,7 +1240,7 @@ Return either nil or 'hide."
                                              show-if-error)
   "Send a command to IDL process.
 
-\(CMD PCMD HIDE\) are placed at the end of `idlwave-shell-pending-commands'.
+\(CMD PCMD HIDE) are placed at the end of `idlwave-shell-pending-commands'.
 If IDL is ready the first command in `idlwave-shell-pending-commands',
 CMD, is sent to the IDL process.
 
@@ -1256,7 +1256,7 @@ stepping through code with output.
 If optional fourth argument PREEMPT is non-nil CMD is put at front of
 `idlwave-shell-pending-commands'.  If PREEMPT is 'wait, wait for all
 output to complete and the next prompt to arrive before returning
-\(useful if you need an answer now\).  IDL is considered ready if the
+\(useful if you need an answer now).  IDL is considered ready if the
 prompt is present and if `idlwave-shell-ready' is non-nil.
 
 If SHOW-IF-ERROR is non-nil, show the output if it contains an error
@@ -3122,7 +3122,7 @@ versions of IDL."
          (string-match "\\.\\'" pre)))             ;; structure member
 
        ;; Skip over strings
-       ((and (string-match "\\([\"\']\\)[^\1]*$" pre)
+       ((and (string-match "\\([\"']\\)[^\1]*$" pre)
              (string-match (concat "^[^" (match-string 1 pre) "]*"
                                    (match-string 1 pre)) post))
         (setq start (+ start (match-end 0))))
@@ -3212,7 +3212,7 @@ size(___,/DIMENSIONS)"
 
 (defvar idlwave-shell-bp-alist nil
   "Alist of breakpoints.
-A breakpoint is a cons cell \(\(file line\) . \(\(index module\) data\)\)
+A breakpoint is a cons cell \((file line) . \((index module) data))
 
 The car is the `frame' for the breakpoint:
 file - full path file name.
@@ -3921,7 +3921,7 @@ Query as a function if TYPE set to something beside `pro'."
   "Get module source, and update `idlwave-shell-sources-alist'."
   (let ((old (assoc (upcase module) idlwave-shell-sources-alist))
         filename)
-    (when (string-match "\.PATH *[\n\r]\\([^%][^\r\n]+\\)[\n\r]"
+    (when (string-match ".PATH *[\n\r]\\([^%][^\r\n]+\\)[\n\r]"
                         idlwave-shell-command-output)
       (setq filename (substring idlwave-shell-command-output
                                 (match-beginning 1) (match-end 1)))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/idlwave.el b/lisp/progmodes/idlwave.el
index b524b761b75..ac2259df6a4 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/idlwave.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/idlwave.el
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ The actions that can be performed are listed in `idlwave-indent-action-table'."
 
 (defcustom idlwave-abbrev-start-char "\\"
   "A single character string used to start abbreviations in abbrev mode.
-Possible characters to choose from: ~\\=`\%
+Possible characters to choose from: ~\\=`%
 or even `?'.  `.' is not a good choice because it can make structure
 field names act like abbrevs in certain circumstances.
 
@@ -1559,7 +1559,7 @@ KEY in `idlwave-mode-map' by defining an anonymous function calling
 `self-insert-command' followed by CMD.  If KEY contains more than one
 character a binding will only be set if SELECT is 'both.
 
-\(KEY . CMD\) is also placed in the `idlwave-indent-expand-table',
+\(KEY . CMD) is also placed in the `idlwave-indent-expand-table',
 replacing any previous value for KEY.  If a binding is not set then it
 will instead be placed in `idlwave-indent-action-table'.
 
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/inf-lisp.el b/lisp/progmodes/inf-lisp.el
index 17aaab9e2c3..290ebeea290 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/inf-lisp.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/inf-lisp.el
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ Used by these commands to determine defaults."
                                      (file-name-nondirectory file-name)))
   (comint-send-string (inferior-lisp-proc) (concat "(compile-file \""
                                                    file-name
-                                                   "\"\)\n"))
+                                                   "\")\n"))
   (switch-to-lisp t))
 
 
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/js.el b/lisp/progmodes/js.el
index 98a22dd8441..71d0229471a 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/js.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/js.el
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ An example of this is \"Class.prototype = { method1: ...}\".")
 (defconst js--prototype-objextend-class-decl-re-2
   (concat "^\\s-*\\(?:var\\s-+\\)?"
           "\\(" js--dotted-name-re "\\)"
-          "\\s-*=\\s-*Object\\.extend\\s-*\("))
+          "\\s-*=\\s-*Object\\.extend\\s-*("))
 
 ;; var NewClass = Class.create({
 (defconst js--prototype-class-decl-re
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@ enabled frameworks."
          (js--maybe-join
           "\\(?:var[ \t]+\\)?[a-zA-Z_$0-9.]+[ \t]*=[ \t]*\\(?:"
           "\\|"
-          "\\)[ \t]*\("
+          "\\)[ \t]*("
 
           (when (memq 'prototype js-enabled-frameworks)
                     "Class\\.create")
@@ -651,10 +651,10 @@ enabled frameworks."
             "[a-zA-Z_$0-9]+\\.extend\\(?:Final\\)?"))
 
          (when (memq 'dojo js-enabled-frameworks)
-           "dojo\\.declare[ \t]*\(")
+           "dojo\\.declare[ \t]*(")
 
          (when (memq 'mochikit js-enabled-frameworks)
-           "MochiKit\\.Base\\.update[ \t]*\(")
+           "MochiKit\\.Base\\.update[ \t]*(")
 
          ;; mumble.prototypeTHING
          (js--maybe-join
@@ -662,7 +662,7 @@ enabled frameworks."
 
           (when (memq 'javascript js-enabled-frameworks)
             '( ;; foo.prototype.bar = function(
-              "\\.[a-zA-Z_$0-9]+[ \t]*=[ \t]*function[ \t]*\("
+              "\\.[a-zA-Z_$0-9]+[ \t]*=[ \t]*function[ \t]*("
 
               ;; mumble.prototype = {
               "[ \t]*=[ \t]*{")))))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/m4-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/m4-mode.el
index 511b25486a2..b0b0bdcef04 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/m4-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/m4-mode.el
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ If m4 is not in your PATH, set this to an absolute file name."
   `(
     ("\\(\\_<\\(m4_\\)?dnl\\_>\\).*$" . font-lock-comment-face)
     ("\\$[*#@0-9]" . font-lock-variable-name-face)
-    ("\\\$\\\@" . font-lock-variable-name-face)
-    ("\\\$\\\*" . font-lock-variable-name-face)
+    ("\\$\\@" . font-lock-variable-name-face)
+    ("\\$\\*" . font-lock-variable-name-face)
     ("\\b\\(builtin\\|change\\(com\\|quote\\|word\\)\\|d\\(e\\(bug\\(file\\|mode\\)\\|cr\\|f\\(ine\\|n\\)\\)\\|iv\\(ert\\|num\\)\\|nl\\|umpdef\\)\\|e\\(rrprint\\|syscmd\\|val\\)\\|f\\(ile\\|ormat\\)\\|gnu\\|i\\(f\\(def\\|else\\)\\|n\\(c\\(lude\\|r\\)\\|d\\(ex\\|ir\\)\\)\\)\\|l\\(en\\|ine\\)\\|m\\(4\\(exit\\|wrap\\)\\|aketemp\\)\\|p\\(atsubst\\|opdef\\|ushdef\\)\\|regexp\\|s\\(hift\\|include\\|ubstr\\|ys\\(cmd\\|val\\)\\)\\|tra\\(ceo\\(ff\\|n\\)\\|nslit\\)\\|un\\(d\\(efine\\|ivert\\)\\|ix\\)\\)\\b" . font-lock-keyword-face)
     ("\\b\\(m4_\\(builtin\\|change\\(com\\|quote\\|word\\)\\|d\\(e\\(bug\\(file\\|mode\\)\\|cr\\|f\\(ine\\|n\\)\\)\\|iv\\(ert\\|num\\)\\|nl\\|umpdef\\)\\|e\\(rrprint\\|syscmd\\|val\\)\\|f\\(ile\\|ormat\\)\\|i\\(f\\(def\\|else\\)\\|n\\(c\\(lude\\|r\\)\\|d\\(ex\\|ir\\)\\)\\)\\|l\\(en\\|ine\\)\\|m\\(4\\(_undefine\\|exit\\|wrap\\)\\|aketemp\\)\\|p\\(atsubst\\|opdef\\|ushdef\\)\\|regexp\\|s\\(hift\\|include\\|ubstr\\|ys\\(cmd\\|val\\)\\)\\|tra\\(ceo\\(ff\\|n\\)\\|nslit\\)\\|undivert\\)\\)\\b" . font-lock-keyword-face))
   "Default `font-lock-keywords' for M4 mode.")
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/mantemp.el b/lisp/progmodes/mantemp.el
index 6b92c7ee2d6..a0f50fc0f19 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/mantemp.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/mantemp.el
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@
   (save-excursion
     (goto-char (point-min))
     (message "Removing comments")
-    (while (re-search-forward "^[A-z\.()+0-9: ]*`\\|'.*$" nil t)
+    (while (re-search-forward "^[A-z.()+0-9: ]*`\\|'.*$" nil t)
       (replace-match ""))))
 
 (defun mantemp-remove-memfuncs ()
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/perl-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/perl-mode.el
index 3521a139809..55d69bfddff 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/perl-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/perl-mode.el
@@ -932,7 +932,7 @@ Returns (parse-state) if line starts inside a string."
            (if (save-excursion (goto-char indent-point)
                                (looking-at
                                 (if perl-indent-parens-as-block
-                                    "[ \t]*[{(\[]" "[ \t]*{")))
+                                    "[ \t]*[{([]" "[ \t]*{")))
                perl-continued-brace-offset 0)))
        (t
         ;; This line starts a new statement.
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/prog-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/prog-mode.el
index 8f50887113e..f1aa35f2871 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/prog-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/prog-mode.el
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ indentation of a line/region to the indentation engine of the sub
 mode, it is supposed to bind this variable to non-nil around the call.
 
 The non-nil value looks as follows
-   \(FIRST-COLUMN (START . END) PREVIOUS-CHUNKS)
+   (FIRST-COLUMN (START . END) PREVIOUS-CHUNKS)
 
 FIRST-COLUMN is the column the indentation engine of the sub mode
 should usually choose for top-level language constructs inside
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ values are:
 
  - A function called with the start position of the current
    chunk.  It will return either the region of the previous chunk
-   as \(PREV-START . PREV-END) or nil if there is no further
+   as (PREV-START . PREV-END) or nil if there is no further
    previous chunk.
 
    A typical use case are literate programming sources - the
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/prolog.el b/lisp/progmodes/prolog.el
index 5a4ed84c346..b36df213ce1 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/prolog.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/prolog.el
@@ -2357,7 +2357,7 @@ This function is only available when `prolog-system' is set to `swi'."
 (defun prolog-atom-under-point ()
   "Return the atom under or left to the point."
   (save-excursion
-    (let ((nonatom_chars "[](){},\. \t\n")
+    (let ((nonatom_chars "[](){},. \t\n")
           start)
       (skip-chars-forward (concat "^" nonatom_chars))
       (skip-chars-backward nonatom_chars)
@@ -2826,10 +2826,10 @@ objects (relevant only if `prolog-system' is set to `sicstus')."
                   (eq prolog-system 'sicstus)
                   (prolog-in-object))
              (format
-              "^\\(%s\\|%s\\|[^\n\'\"%%]\\)*&[ \t]*\\(\\|%%.*\\)$\\|[ \t]*}"
+              "^\\(%s\\|%s\\|[^\n'\"%%]\\)*&[ \t]*\\(\\|%%.*\\)$\\|[ \t]*}"
               prolog-quoted-atom-regexp prolog-string-regexp)
            (format
-            "^\\(%s\\|%s\\|[^\n\'\"%%]\\)*\\.[ \t]*\\(\\|%%.*\\)$"
+            "^\\(%s\\|%s\\|[^\n'\"%%]\\)*\\.[ \t]*\\(\\|%%.*\\)$"
             prolog-quoted-atom-regexp prolog-string-regexp))
          nil t)
         (if (and (nth 8 (syntax-ppss))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/ruby-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/ruby-mode.el
index 026616e68f4..a5efb934a22 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/ruby-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/ruby-mode.el
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@ It is used when `ruby-encoding-magic-comment-style' is set to `custom'."
   (let ((index-alist '()) (case-fold-search nil)
         name next pos decl sing)
     (goto-char beg)
-    (while (re-search-forward "^\\s *\\(\\(class\\s +\\|\\(class\\s *<<\\s *\\)\\|module\\s +\\)\\([^\(<\n ]+\\)\\|\\(def\\|alias\\)\\s +\\([^\(\n ]+\\)\\)" end t)
+    (while (re-search-forward "^\\s *\\(\\(class\\s +\\|\\(class\\s *<<\\s *\\)\\|module\\s +\\)\\([^(<\n ]+\\)\\|\\(def\\|alias\\)\\s +\\([^(\n ]+\\)\\)" end t)
       (setq sing (match-beginning 3))
       (setq decl (match-string 5))
       (setq next (match-end 0))
@@ -1795,7 +1795,7 @@ If the result is do-end block, it will always be multiline."
       (setq content
             (if (equal string-quote "\"")
                 (replace-regexp-in-string "\\\\\"" "\"" (replace-regexp-in-string "\\([^\\\\]\\)'" "\\1\\\\'" content))
-              (replace-regexp-in-string "\\\\\'" "'" (replace-regexp-in-string "\\([^\\\\]\\)\"" "\\1\\\\\"" content))))
+              (replace-regexp-in-string "\\\\'" "'" (replace-regexp-in-string "\\([^\\\\]\\)\"" "\\1\\\\\"" content))))
       (let ((orig-point (point)))
         (delete-region min max)
         (insert
@@ -2192,7 +2192,7 @@ See `font-lock-syntax-table'.")
     ;; Constants.
     ("\\(?:\\_<\\|::\\)\\([A-Z]+\\(\\w\\|_\\)*\\)"
      1 (unless (eq ?\( (char-after)) font-lock-type-face))
-    ("\\(^\\s *\\|[\[\{\(,]\\s *\\|\\sw\\s +\\)\\(\\(\\sw\\|_\\)+\\):[^:]"
+    ("\\(^\\s *\\|[[{(,]\\s *\\|\\sw\\s +\\)\\(\\(\\sw\\|_\\)+\\):[^:]"
      (2 font-lock-constant-face))
     ;; Conversion methods on Kernel.
     (,(concat ruby-font-lock-keyword-beg-re
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/scheme.el b/lisp/progmodes/scheme.el
index a21bc198e3b..e921e84a33e 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/scheme.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/scheme.el
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ that variable's value is a string."
   (eval-when-compile
     (list
      ;; Similar to Scheme
-     (list "(\\(define\\(-\\w+\\)?\\)\\>[       ]*\\\((?\\)\\(\\sw+\\)\\>"
+     (list "(\\(define\\(-\\w+\\)?\\)\\>[       ]*\\((?\\)\\(\\sw+\\)\\>"
            '(1 font-lock-keyword-face)
            '(4 font-lock-function-name-face))
      (cons
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/sh-script.el b/lisp/progmodes/sh-script.el
index 735c8f96888..049c93dfae2 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/sh-script.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/sh-script.el
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ naming the shell."
      . ((nil
          ;; function FOO
          ;; function FOO()
-         "^\\s-*function\\s-+\\\([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*\\)\\s-*\\(?:()\\)?"
+         "^\\s-*function\\s-+\\([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*\\)\\s-*\\(?:()\\)?"
          1)
         ;; FOO()
         (nil
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ For use in `add-log-current-defun-function'."
            (concat "\\(?:"
                    ;; function FOO
                    ;; function FOO()
-                   "^\\s-*function\\s-+\\\([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*\\)\\s-*\\(?:()\\)?"
+                   "^\\s-*function\\s-+\\([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*\\)\\s-*\\(?:()\\)?"
                    "\\)\\|\\(?:"
                    ;; FOO()
                    "^\\s-*\\([[:alpha:]_][[:alnum:]_]*\\)\\s-*()"
@@ -2319,7 +2319,7 @@ controls whether to query about making the visited file executable.
 
 Calls the value of `sh-set-shell-hook' if set."
   (interactive (list (completing-read
-                      (format "Shell \(default %s\): "
+                      (format "Shell (default %s): "
                               sh-shell-file)
                       ;; This used to use interpreter-mode-alist, but that is
                       ;; no longer appropriate now that uses regexps.
@@ -2810,15 +2810,15 @@ Return new point if successful, nil if an error occurred."
   "Return indent-info for this line.
 This is a list.  nil means the line is to be left as is.
 Otherwise it contains one or more of the following sublists:
-\(t NUMBER\)   NUMBER is the base location in the buffer that indentation is
+\(t NUMBER)   NUMBER is the base location in the buffer that indentation is
              relative to.  If present, this is always the first of the
              sublists.  The indentation of the line in question is
              derived from the indentation of this point, possibly
              modified by subsequent sublists.
-\(+ VAR\)
-\(- VAR\)      Get the value of variable VAR and add to or subtract from
+\(+ VAR)
+\(- VAR)      Get the value of variable VAR and add to or subtract from
              the indentation calculated so far.
-\(= VAR\)            Get the value of variable VAR and *replace* the
+\(= VAR)      Get the value of variable VAR and *replace* the
              indentation with its value.  This only occurs for
              special variables such as `sh-indent-comment'.
 STRING       This is ignored for the purposes of calculating
@@ -3086,7 +3086,7 @@ we go to the end of the previous line and do not check for continuations."
                 (setq prev (point))
                 ))
           ;; backward-sexp failed
-          (if (zerop (skip-chars-backward " \t()[\]{};`'"))
+          (if (zerop (skip-chars-backward " \t()[]{};`'"))
               (forward-char -1))
           (if (bolp)
               (let ((back (sh-prev-line nil)))
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/sql.el b/lisp/progmodes/sql.el
index 3b77ac088e3..abc99eec909 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/sql.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/sql.el
@@ -381,9 +381,9 @@ file.  Since that is a plaintext file, this could be dangerous."
      :sqli-options sql-ingres-options
      :sqli-login sql-ingres-login-params
      :sqli-comint-func sql-comint-ingres
-     :prompt-regexp "^\* "
+     :prompt-regexp "^\\* "
      :prompt-length 2
-     :prompt-cont-regexp "^\* ")
+     :prompt-cont-regexp "^\\* ")
 
     (interbase
      :name "Interbase"
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ highlighted and will not support `sql-interactive-mode'.
 
 Each element in the list is in the following format:
 
- \(PRODUCT FEATURE VALUE ...)
+ (PRODUCT FEATURE VALUE ...)
 
 where PRODUCT is the appropriate value of `sql-product'.  The
 product name is then followed by FEATURE-VALUE pairs.  If a
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@ settings.")
   "An alist of connection parameters for interacting with a SQL product.
 Each element of the alist is as follows:
 
-  \(CONNECTION \(SQL-VARIABLE VALUE) ...)
+  (CONNECTION \(SQL-VARIABLE VALUE) ...)
 
 Where CONNECTION is a case-insensitive string identifying the
 connection, SQL-VARIABLE is the symbol name of a SQL mode
@@ -3897,14 +3897,14 @@ Here is an example for your init file.  It keeps the SQLi buffer a
 certain length.
 
 \(add-hook \\='sql-interactive-mode-hook
-    \(function (lambda ()
-        \(setq comint-output-filter-functions \\='comint-truncate-buffer))))
+    (function (lambda ()
+        (setq comint-output-filter-functions \\='comint-truncate-buffer))))
 
 Here is another example.  It will always put point back to the statement
 you entered, right above the output it created.
 
 \(setq comint-output-filter-functions
-       \(function (lambda (STR) (comint-show-output))))"
+       (function (lambda (STR) (comint-show-output))))"
   (delay-mode-hooks (comint-mode))
 
   ;; Get the `sql-product' for this interactive session.
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/vera-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/vera-mode.el
index 5f1cb53f1dd..bce56a447f0 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/vera-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/vera-mode.el
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ Usage:
 
   INDENTATION:  Typing `TAB' at the beginning of a line indents the line.
     The amount of indentation is specified by option `vera-basic-offset'.
-    Indentation can be done for an entire region \(`M-C-\\') or buffer (menu).
+    Indentation can be done for an entire region (`M-C-\\') or buffer (menu).
     `TAB' always indents the line if option `vera-intelligent-tab' is nil.
 
   WORD/COMMAND COMPLETION:  Typing `TAB' after a (not completed) word looks
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/verilog-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/verilog-mode.el
index ac9bdd8b254..58ffba3dddb 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/verilog-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/verilog-mode.el
@@ -2469,7 +2469,7 @@ find the errors."
    "\\(\\<begin\\>\\)\\|"                        ; 1
    "\\(\\<else\\>\\)\\|"                         ; 2
    "\\(\\<end\\>\\s-+\\<else\\>\\)\\|"           ; 3
-   "\\(\\<always\\(?:_ff\\)?\\>\\(?:\[ \t\]*@\\)\\)\\|"    ; 4 (matches always or always_ff w/ @...)
+   "\\(\\<always\\(?:_ff\\)?\\>\\(?:[ \t]*@\\)\\)\\|"    ; 4 (matches always or always_ff w/ @...)
    "\\(\\<always\\(?:_comb\\|_latch\\)?\\>\\)\\|"  ; 5 (matches always, always_comb, always_latch w/o @...)
    "\\(\\<fork\\>\\)\\|"                         ; 7
    "\\(\\<if\\>\\)\\|"
@@ -3194,10 +3194,10 @@ See also `verilog-font-lock-extra-types'.")
                                                       'font-lock-preprocessor-face
                                                     'font-lock-type-face))
                  ;; Fontify delays/numbers
-                 '("\\(@\\)\\|\\([ \t\n\f\r]#\\s-*\\(\\(\[0-9_.\]+\\('s?[hdxbo][0-9a-fA-F_xz]*\\)?\\)\\|\\(([^()]+)\\|\\sw+\\)\\)\\)"
+                 '("\\(@\\)\\|\\([ \t\n\f\r]#\\s-*\\(\\([0-9_.]+\\('s?[hdxbo][0-9a-fA-F_xz]*\\)?\\)\\|\\(([^()]+)\\|\\sw+\\)\\)\\)"
                    0 font-lock-type-face append)
      ;; Fontify property/sequence cycle delays - these start with '##'
-     '("\\(##\\(\\sw+\\|\\[[^\]]+\\]\\)\\)"
+     '("\\(##\\(\\sw+\\|\\[[^]]+\\]\\)\\)"
        0 font-lock-type-face append)
                  ;; Fontify instantiation names
                  '("\\([A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9_]*\\)\\s-*(" 1 font-lock-function-name-face)
@@ -3936,7 +3936,7 @@ With optional ARG, remove existing end of line comments."
 (defun electric-verilog-semi-with-comment ()
   "Insert `;' character, reindent the line and indent for comment."
   (interactive)
-  (insert "\;")
+  (insert ";")
   (save-excursion
     (beginning-of-line)
     (verilog-indent-line))
@@ -4072,7 +4072,7 @@ if it reaches the end of the buffer."
 The upper left corner is defined by point.  Indices begin with 0
 and extend to the MAX - 1.  If no prefix arg is given, the user
 is prompted for a value.  The indices are surrounded by square
-brackets \[].  For example, the following code with the point
+brackets [].  For example, the following code with the point
 located after the first 'a' gives:
 
     a = b                           a[  0] = b
@@ -5072,7 +5072,7 @@ Useful for creating tri's and other expanded fields."
     (if (verilog-within-string)
         (re-search-forward "\"" nil t)
       (if (verilog-in-star-comment-p)
-          (re-search-forward "\*/" nil t)
+          (re-search-forward "\\*/" nil t)
         (let ((bpt (- (point) 2)))
           (end-of-line)
           (delete-region bpt (point))))))
@@ -5184,7 +5184,7 @@ becomes:
                  (t
                   )))
                ((verilog-in-star-comment-p)
-                (re-search-backward "/\*")
+                (re-search-backward "/\\*")
                 (insert (format " // surefire lint_off_line %6s" code )))
                (t
                 (insert (format " // surefire lint_off_line %6s" code ))
@@ -6054,7 +6054,7 @@ Optional BOUND limits search."
                 (verilog-re-search-backward "//" nil 'move)
                 (skip-chars-backward "/"))
                ((nth 4 state)  ; in /* */ comment
-                (verilog-re-search-backward "/\*" nil 'move))))
+                (verilog-re-search-backward "/\\*" nil 'move))))
             (narrow-to-region bound (point))
             (while (/= here (point))
               (setq here (point))
@@ -6092,7 +6092,7 @@ Optional BOUND limits search."
                 (skip-chars-forward " \t\n\f")
                 )
                ((nth 4 state)  ; in /* */ comment
-                (verilog-re-search-forward "\*\/\\s-*" nil 'move))))
+                (verilog-re-search-forward "\\*/\\s-*" nil 'move))))
             (narrow-to-region (point) bound)
             (while (/= here (point))
               (setq here (point)
@@ -6673,7 +6673,7 @@ Do not count named blocks or case-statements."
                (save-excursion
                  (forward-line -1)
                  (skip-chars-forward " \t")
-                 (looking-at "\*")))
+                 (looking-at "\\*")))
           (insert "* ")))))
 
 (defun verilog-comment-indent (&optional _arg)
@@ -7078,7 +7078,7 @@ Region is defined by B and EDPOS."
                 (beginning-of-line)
                 (point-marker)
               (end-of-line))))
-      (if (re-search-backward " /\\* \[#-\]# \[a-zA-Z\]+ \[0-9\]+ ## \\*/" b t)
+      (if (re-search-backward " /\\* [#-]# [a-zA-Z]+ [0-9]+ ## \\*/" b t)
           (progn
             (replace-match " /* -#  ## */")
             (end-of-line))
@@ -8196,32 +8196,32 @@ Tieoff value uses `verilog-active-low-regexp' and
   (verilog-backward-open-paren)
   (let (done)
     (while (not done)
-      (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\()\\|\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]\\|\\]\\)" nil nil)  ; ] isn't word boundary
+      (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\()\\|\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]\\|\\]\\)" nil nil)  ; ] isn't word boundary
       (cond ((looking-at ")")
              (verilog-backward-open-paren))
             (t (setq done t)))))
   (while (looking-at "\\]")
     (verilog-backward-open-bracket)
-    (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\(\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]\\|\\]\\)" nil nil))
+    (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\(\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]\\|\\]\\)" nil nil))
   (skip-chars-backward "a-zA-Z0-9`_$"))
 
 (defun verilog-read-inst-module-matcher ()
   "Set match data 0 with module_name when point is inside instantiation."
   (verilog-read-inst-backward-name)
   ;; Skip over instantiation name
-  (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\(\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]\\|)\\)" nil nil)  ; ) isn't word boundary
+  (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\(\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]\\|)\\)" nil nil)  ; ) isn't word boundary
   ;; Check for parameterized instantiations
   (when (looking-at ")")
     (verilog-backward-open-paren)
-    (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]" nil nil))
+    (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]" nil nil))
   (skip-chars-backward "a-zA-Z0-9'_$")
   ;; #1 is legal syntax for gate primitives
   (when (save-excursion
           (verilog-backward-syntactic-ws-quick)
           (eq ?# (char-before)))
-    (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]" nil nil)
+    (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]" nil nil)
     (skip-chars-backward "a-zA-Z0-9'_$"))
-  (looking-at "[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]+")
+  (looking-at "[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]+")
   ;; Important: don't use match string, this must work with Emacs 19 font-lock on
   (buffer-substring-no-properties (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0))
   ;; Caller assumes match-beginning/match-end is still set
@@ -8236,7 +8236,7 @@ Tieoff value uses `verilog-active-low-regexp' and
   "Return instance_name when point is inside instantiation."
   (save-excursion
     (verilog-read-inst-backward-name)
-    (looking-at "[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]+")
+    (looking-at "[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]+")
     ;; Important: don't use match string, this must work with Emacs 19 font-lock on
     (buffer-substring-no-properties (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0))))
 
@@ -8247,7 +8247,7 @@ Tieoff value uses `verilog-active-low-regexp' and
     ;; Due to "module x import y (" we must search for declaration begin
     (verilog-re-search-backward-quick verilog-defun-re nil nil)
     (goto-char (match-end 0))
-    (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]+" nil nil)
+    (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]+" nil nil)
     ;; Important: don't use match string, this must work with Emacs 19 font-lock on
     (verilog-symbol-detick
      (buffer-substring-no-properties (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0)) t)))
@@ -8257,7 +8257,7 @@ Tieoff value uses `verilog-active-low-regexp' and
   (save-excursion
     (verilog-read-inst-backward-name)
     ;; Skip over instantiation name
-    (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\(\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]\\|)\\)" nil nil)  ; ) isn't word boundary
+    (verilog-re-search-backward-quick "\\(\\b[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]\\|)\\)" nil nil)  ; ) isn't word boundary
     ;; If there are parameterized instantiations
     (when (looking-at ")")
       (let ((end-pt (point))
@@ -8265,9 +8265,9 @@ Tieoff value uses `verilog-active-low-regexp' and
             param-name paren-beg-pt param-value)
         (verilog-backward-open-paren)
         (while (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\." end-pt t)
-          (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\([a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]\\)" nil nil)
+          (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\([a-zA-Z0-9`_$]\\)" nil nil)
           (skip-chars-backward "a-zA-Z0-9'_$")
-          (looking-at "[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]+")
+          (looking-at "[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]+")
           (setq param-name (buffer-substring-no-properties
                             (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0)))
           (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "(" nil nil)
@@ -10641,7 +10641,7 @@ Typing \\[verilog-inject-auto] will make this into:
   (save-excursion
     (goto-char (point-min))
     ;; It's hard to distinguish modules; we'll instead search for pins.
-    (while (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\.\\s *[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]+\\s *(\\s *[a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]+\\s *)" nil t)
+    (while (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\.\\s *[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]+\\s *(\\s *[a-zA-Z0-9`_$]+\\s *)" nil t)
       (verilog-backward-open-paren)  ; Inst start
       (cond
        ((= (preceding-char) ?\#)  ; #(...) parameter section, not pin.  Skip.
@@ -10656,7 +10656,7 @@ Typing \\[verilog-inject-auto] will make this into:
                 (t
                  ;; Delete identical interconnect
                  (let ((case-fold-search nil))  ; So we don't convert upper-to-lower, etc
-                   (while (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\.\\s *\\([a-zA-Z0-9`_\$]+\\)*\\s *(\\s *\\1\\s *)\\s *" end-pt t)
+                   (while (verilog-re-search-forward-quick "\\.\\s *\\([a-zA-Z0-9`_$]+\\)*\\s *(\\s *\\1\\s *)\\s *" end-pt t)
                      (delete-region (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0))
                      (setq end-pt (- end-pt (- (match-end 0) (match-beginning 0))))  ; Keep it correct
                      (while (or (looking-at "[ \t\n\f,]+")
@@ -11153,7 +11153,7 @@ If PAR-VALUES replace final strings with these parameter values."
           (for-star
            (indent-to (+ (if (< verilog-auto-inst-column 48) 24 16)
                          verilog-auto-inst-column))
-           (verilog-insert " // Implicit .\*\n")) ;For some reason the . or * must be escaped...
+           (verilog-insert " // Implicit .*\n"))
           (t
            (insert "\n")))))
 ;;(verilog-auto-inst-port (list "foo" "[5:0]") 10 (list (list "foo" "a@\"(% (+ @ 1) 4)\"a")) "3")
@@ -11397,12 +11397,12 @@ Multiple Module Templates:
   instantiation name.
 
   If a regular expression is provided, the @ character will be replaced
-  with the first \(\) grouping that matches against the cell name.  Using a
-  regexp of \"\\([0-9]+\\)\" provides identical values for @ as when no
+  with the first () grouping that matches against the cell name.  Using a
+  regexp of `\\([0-9]+\\)' provides identical values for @ as when no
   regexp is provided.  If you use multiple layers of parenthesis,
-  \"test\\([^0-9]+\\)_\\([0-9]+\\)\" would replace @ with non-number
+  `test\\([^0-9]+\\)_\\([0-9]+\\)' would replace @ with non-number
   characters after test and before _, whereas
-  \"\\(test\\([a-z]+\\)_\\([0-9]+\\)\\)\" would replace @ with the entire
+  `\\(test\\([a-z]+\\)_\\([0-9]+\\)\\)' would replace @ with the entire
   match.
 
   For example:
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/vhdl-mode.el b/lisp/progmodes/vhdl-mode.el
index 6f486cf7582..9ee4ab520e1 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/vhdl-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/vhdl-mode.el
@@ -376,8 +376,8 @@ Compiler:
   Make command     : command used for compilation using a Makefile
   Make options     : make options (\"\\1\" inserts Makefile name)
   Generate Makefile: use built-in function or command to generate a Makefile
-                     \(\"\\1\" inserts Makefile name, \"\\2\" inserts library name)
-  Library command  : command to create library directory \(\"\\1\" inserts
+                     (\"\\1\" inserts Makefile name, \"\\2\" inserts library name)
+  Library command  : command to create library directory (\"\\1\" inserts
                      library directory, \"\\2\" inserts library name)
   Compile directory: where compilation is run and the Makefile is placed
   Library directory: directory of default library
@@ -519,9 +519,9 @@ with other user Makefiles."
 Allows you to insert user specific parts into a Makefile.
 
 Example:
-  \(lambda nil
-    \(re-search-backward \"^# Rule for compiling entire design\")
-    \(insert \"# My target\\n\\n.MY_TARGET :\\n\\n\\n\"))"
+  (lambda nil
+    (re-search-backward \"^# Rule for compiling entire design\")
+    (insert \"# My target\\n\\n.MY_TARGET :\\n\\n\\n\"))"
   :type 'hook
   :group 'vhdl-compile)
 
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ Is overwritten by project settings if a project is active."
                         \"\\3\" project-specific options)
       - Do not compile: do not compile this file (in Makefile)
   Compile directory: where compilation is run and the Makefile is placed
-                     \(\"\\1\" inserts compiler ID string)
+                     (\"\\1\" inserts compiler ID string)
   Library name     : name of library (default is \"work\")
   Library directory: path to library (\"\\1\" inserts compiler ID string)
   Makefile name    : name of Makefile
@@ -997,7 +997,7 @@ if the header needs to be version controlled.
 The following keywords for template generation are supported:
   <filename>    : replaced by the name of the buffer
   <author>      : replaced by the user name and email address
-                  \(`user-full-name',`mail-host-address', `user-mail-address')
+                  (`user-full-name',`mail-host-address', `user-mail-address')
   <authorfull>  : replaced by the user full name (`user-full-name')
   <login>       : replaced by user login name (`user-login-name')
   <company>     : replaced by contents of option `vhdl-company-name'
@@ -4323,7 +4323,7 @@ Usage:
   TEMPLATE INSERTION (electrification):
     After typing a VHDL keyword and entering `SPC', you are prompted for
     arguments while a template is generated for that VHDL construct.  Typing
-    `RET' or `C-g' at the first \(mandatory) prompt aborts the current
+    `RET' or `C-g' at the first (mandatory) prompt aborts the current
     template generation.  Optional arguments are indicated by square
     brackets and removed if the queried string is left empty.  Prompts for
     mandatory arguments remain in the code if the queried string is left
@@ -4342,7 +4342,7 @@ Usage:
     conf, comp, cons, func, inst, pack, sig, var.
 
       Template styles can be customized in customization group
-    `vhdl-template' \(see OPTIONS).
+    `vhdl-template' (see OPTIONS).
 
 
   HEADER INSERTION:
@@ -4373,7 +4373,7 @@ Usage:
       Typing `TAB' after `(' looks for and inserts complete parenthesized
     expressions (e.g. for array index ranges).  All keywords as well as
     standard types and subprograms of VHDL have predefined abbreviations
-    \(e.g. type \"std\" and `TAB' will toggle through all standard types
+    (e.g., type \"std\" and `TAB' will toggle through all standard types
     beginning with \"std\").
 
       Typing `TAB' after a non-word character indents the line if at the
@@ -4417,7 +4417,7 @@ Usage:
     the entire region.
 
       Indentation can be done for a group of lines (`C-c C-i C-g'), a region
-    \(`M-C-\\') or the entire buffer (menu).  Argument and port lists are
+    (`M-C-\\') or the entire buffer (menu).  Argument and port lists are
     indented normally (nil) or relative to the opening parenthesis (non-nil)
     according to option `vhdl-argument-list-indent'.
 
@@ -4563,7 +4563,7 @@ Usage:
     Enables simple structural composition.  `C-c C-m C-n' creates a skeleton
     for a new component.  Subcomponents (i.e. component declaration and
     instantiation) can be automatically placed from a previously read port
-    \(`C-c C-m C-p') or directly from the hierarchy browser (`P').  Finally,
+    (`C-c C-m C-p') or directly from the hierarchy browser (`P').  Finally,
     all subcomponents can be automatically connected using internal signals
     and ports (`C-c C-m C-w') following these rules:
       - subcomponent actual ports with same name are considered to be
@@ -4763,7 +4763,7 @@ Usage:
           Insert them once manually (will be kept afterwards).
         - Out parameters of procedures are considered to be read.
       Use option `vhdl-entity-file-name' to specify the entity file name
-      \(used to obtain the port names).
+      (used to obtain the port names).
       Use option `vhdl-array-index-record-field-in-sensitivity-list' to
       specify whether to include array indices and record fields in
       sensitivity lists.
@@ -4771,12 +4771,12 @@ Usage:
 
   CODE FIXING:
     `C-c C-x C-p' fixes the closing parenthesis of a generic/port clause
-    \(e.g. if the closing parenthesis is on the wrong line or is missing).
+    (e.g., if the closing parenthesis is on the wrong line or is missing).
 
 
   PRINTING:
     PostScript printing with different faces (an optimized set of faces is
-    used if `vhdl-print-customize-faces' is non-nil) or colors \(if
+    used if `vhdl-print-customize-faces' is non-nil) or colors (if
     `ps-print-color-p' is non-nil) is possible using the standard Emacs
     PostScript printing commands.  Option `vhdl-print-two-column' defines
     appropriate default settings for nice landscape two-column printing.
@@ -4808,7 +4808,7 @@ Usage:
     automatically recognized as VHDL source files.  To add an extension
     \".xxx\", add the following line to your Emacs start-up file (`.emacs'):
 
-      \(push \\='(\"\\\\.xxx\\\\\\='\" . vhdl-mode) auto-mode-alist)
+      (push \\='(\"\\\\.xxx\\\\\\='\" . vhdl-mode) auto-mode-alist)
 
 
   HINTS:
@@ -4895,7 +4895,7 @@ Key bindings:
            (syntax-propertize-rules
             ;; Mark single quotes as having string quote syntax in
             ;; 'c' instances.
-            ("\\(\'\\).\\(\'\\)" (1 "\"'") (2 "\"'"))))
+            ("\\('\\).\\('\\)" (1 "\"'") (2 "\"'"))))
     (set (make-local-variable 'font-lock-syntactic-keywords)
          vhdl-font-lock-syntactic-keywords))
   (unless vhdl-emacs-21
@@ -6707,7 +6707,7 @@ search, and an argument indicating an interactive call."
   (re-search-forward vhdl-e-o-s-re))
 
 (defconst vhdl-b-o-s-re
-  (concat ";[^_]\\|\([^_]\\|\)[^_]\\|\\bwhen\\b[^_]\\|"
+  (concat ";[^_]\\|([^_]\\|)[^_]\\|\\bwhen\\b[^_]\\|"
           vhdl-begin-bwd-re "\\|" vhdl-statement-bwd-re))
 
 (defun vhdl-beginning-of-statement-1 (&optional lim)
@@ -8061,25 +8061,25 @@ end of line, do nothing in comments and strings."
     (setq end (point-marker))
     ;; have no space before and one space after `,' and ';'
     (goto-char beg)
-    (while (re-search-forward "\\(--.*\n\\|\"[^\"\n]*[\"\n]\\|\'.\'\\|\\\\[^\\\n]*[\\\n]\\)\\|\\(\\s-*\\([,;]\\)\\)" end t)
+    (while (re-search-forward "\\(--.*\n\\|\"[^\"\n]*[\"\n]\\|'.'\\|\\\\[^\\\n]*[\\\n]\\)\\|\\(\\s-*\\([,;]\\)\\)" end t)
       (if (match-string 1)
           (goto-char (match-end 1))
         (replace-match "\\3 " nil nil nil 2)))
     ;; have no space after `('
     (goto-char beg)
-    (while (re-search-forward "\\(--.*\n\\|\"[^\"\n]*[\"\n]\\|\'.\'\\|\\\\[^\\\n]*[\\\n]\\)\\|\\((\\)\\s-+" end t)
+    (while (re-search-forward "\\(--.*\n\\|\"[^\"\n]*[\"\n]\\|'.'\\|\\\\[^\\\n]*[\\\n]\\)\\|\\((\\)\\s-+" end t)
       (if (match-string 1)
           (goto-char (match-end 1))
         (replace-match "\\2")))
     ;; have no space before `)'
     (goto-char beg)
-    (while (re-search-forward "\\(--.*\n\\|\"[^\"\n]*[\"\n]\\|\'.\'\\|\\\\[^\\\n]*[\\\n]\\|^\\s-+\\)\\|\\s-+\\()\\)" end t)
+    (while (re-search-forward "\\(--.*\n\\|\"[^\"\n]*[\"\n]\\|'.'\\|\\\\[^\\\n]*[\\\n]\\|^\\s-+\\)\\|\\s-+\\()\\)" end t)
       (if (match-string 1)
           (goto-char (match-end 1))
         (replace-match "\\2")))
     ;; surround operator symbols by one space
     (goto-char beg)
-    (while (re-search-forward "\\(--.*\n\\|\"[^\"\n]*[\"\n]\\|\'.\'\\|\\\\[^\\\n]*[\\\n]\\)\\|\\(\\([^/:<>=\n]\\)\\(:\\|\\??=\\|\\??<<\\|\\??>>\\|\\??<\\|\\??>\\|:=\\|\\??<=\\|\\??>=\\|=>\\|\\??/=\\|\\?\\?\\)\\([^=>\n]\\|$\\)\\)" end t)
+    (while (re-search-forward "\\(--.*\n\\|\"[^\"\n]*[\"\n]\\|'.'\\|\\\\[^\\\n]*[\\\n]\\)\\|\\(\\([^/:<>=\n]\\)\\(:\\|\\??=\\|\\??<<\\|\\??>>\\|\\??<\\|\\??>\\|:=\\|\\??<=\\|\\??>=\\|=>\\|\\??/=\\|\\?\\?\\)\\([^=>\n]\\|$\\)\\)" end t)
       (if (or (match-string 1)
               (<= (match-beginning 0)  ; not if at boi
                  (save-excursion (back-to-indentation) (point))))
@@ -11858,7 +11858,7 @@ reflected in a subsequent paste operation."
                   (save-excursion
                     (re-search-backward
                      (concat "^\\s-*use\\s-+" (car clause)
-                             "\." (cdr clause) "\\>") nil t)))
+                             "." (cdr clause) "\\>") nil t)))
         (vhdl-template-standard-package (car clause) (cdr clause))
         (insert "\n"))
       (setq clause-list (cdr clause-list)))))
@@ -12113,7 +12113,7 @@ reflected in a subsequent paste operation."
                (insert name))
               ((equal (cdr vhdl-instance-name) "")
                (setq name (vhdl-template-field "instance name")))
-              ((string-match "\%d" (cdr vhdl-instance-name))
+              ((string-match "%d" (cdr vhdl-instance-name))
                (let ((n 1))
                  (while (save-excursion
                           (setq name (format (vhdl-replace-string
@@ -12978,7 +12978,7 @@ File statistics: \"%s\"\n\
 # empty lines   : %5d\n\
 # comment lines : %5d\n\
 # comments      : %5d\n\
-# total lines   : %5d\n\ "
+# total lines   : %5d\n"
              (buffer-file-name) no-stats no-code-lines no-empty-lines
              no-comm-lines no-comments no-lines)
     (unless vhdl-emacs-21 (vhdl-show-messages))))
@@ -13121,7 +13121,7 @@ File statistics: \"%s\"\n\
                      (vhdl-resolve-env-variable
                       (vhdl-replace-string
                        (cons "\\(.*\\) \\(.*\\)" (car file-name-list))
-                       (concat "\*" " " (user-login-name)))))))
+                       (concat "* " (user-login-name)))))))
       (setq list-length (or list-length (length file-list)))
       (setq file-name-list (cdr file-name-list)))
     (while file-list
@@ -13306,7 +13306,7 @@ File statistics: \"%s\"\n\
 ;; Syntax definitions
 
 (defconst vhdl-font-lock-syntactic-keywords
-  '(("\\(\'\\).\\(\'\\)" (1 (7 . ?\')) (2 (7 . ?\'))))
+  '(("\\('\\).\\('\\)" (1 (7 . ?\')) (2 (7 . ?\'))))
   "Mark single quotes as having string quote syntax in 'c' instances.")
 
 (defvar vhdl-font-lock-keywords nil
@@ -15461,19 +15461,19 @@ NO-POSITION non-nil means do not re-position cursor."
           (let* ((file-entry (vhdl-aget file-alist
                                         speedbar-last-selected-file)))
             (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
-             "\\[.\\] " (nth 0 file-entry)
+             "\\[.] " (nth 0 file-entry)
              speedbar-last-selected-file 'vhdl-speedbar-entity-face)
             (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
              "{.} " (nth 1 file-entry)
              speedbar-last-selected-file 'vhdl-speedbar-architecture-face)
             (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
-             "\\[.\\] " (nth 3 file-entry)
+             "\\[.] " (nth 3 file-entry)
              speedbar-last-selected-file 'vhdl-speedbar-configuration-face)
             (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
              "[]>] " (nth 4 file-entry)
              speedbar-last-selected-file 'vhdl-speedbar-package-face)
             (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
-             "\\[.\\].+(" '("body")
+             "\\[.].+(" '("body")
              speedbar-last-selected-file 'vhdl-speedbar-package-face)
             (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
              "> " (nth 6 file-entry)
@@ -15482,19 +15482,19 @@ NO-POSITION non-nil means do not re-position cursor."
           (let* ((file-entry (vhdl-aget file-alist file-name)))
             (setq
              pos (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
-                  "\\[.\\] " (nth 0 file-entry)
+                  "\\[.] " (nth 0 file-entry)
                   file-name 'vhdl-speedbar-entity-selected-face pos)
              pos (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
                   "{.} " (nth 1 file-entry)
                   file-name 'vhdl-speedbar-architecture-selected-face pos)
              pos (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
-                  "\\[.\\] " (nth 3 file-entry)
+                  "\\[.] " (nth 3 file-entry)
                   file-name 'vhdl-speedbar-configuration-selected-face pos)
              pos (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
                   "[]>] " (nth 4 file-entry)
                   file-name 'vhdl-speedbar-package-selected-face pos)
              pos (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
-                  "\\[.\\].+(" '("body")
+                  "\\[.].+(" '("body")
                   file-name 'vhdl-speedbar-package-selected-face pos)
              pos (vhdl-speedbar-update-units
                   "> " (nth 6 file-entry)
@@ -15926,7 +15926,7 @@ is already shown in a buffer."
     (if (not (or is-entity (vhdl-speedbar-check-unit 'subprogram)))
         (error "ERROR:  No entity/component or subprogram under cursor")
       (beginning-of-line)
-      (if (looking-at "\\([0-9]\\)+:\\s-*\\(\\[[-+?]\\]\\|>\\) \\(\\(\\w\\|\\s_\\)+\\)")
+      (if (looking-at "\\([0-9]\\)+:\\s-*\\(\\[[-+?]]\\|>\\) \\(\\(\\w\\|\\s_\\)+\\)")
           (condition-case info
               (let ((token (get-text-property
                             (match-beginning 3) 'speedbar-token)))
@@ -17864,17 +17864,17 @@ NOTE: click `mouse-2' on variable names above (not in XEmacs).")
 For VHDL coding style and naming convention guidelines, see the following
 references:
 
-\[1] Ben Cohen.
+[1] Ben Cohen.
     \"VHDL Coding Styles and Methodologies\".
     Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.
     http://members.aol.com/vhdlcohen/vhdl/
 
-\[2] Michael Keating and Pierre Bricaud.
+[2] Michael Keating and Pierre Bricaud.
     \"Reuse Methodology Manual, Second Edition\".
     Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.
     http://www.openmore.com/openmore/rmm2.html
 
-\[3] European Space Agency.
+[3] European Space Agency.
     \"VHDL Modelling Guidelines\".
     ftp://ftp.estec.esa.nl/pub/vhdl/doc/ModelGuide.{pdf,ps}
 
diff --git a/lisp/progmodes/xscheme.el b/lisp/progmodes/xscheme.el
index d5243dac769..cf61073b442 100644
--- a/lisp/progmodes/xscheme.el
+++ b/lisp/progmodes/xscheme.el
@@ -347,9 +347,9 @@ the command interpreter stack:
 
 Some possible command interpreter types and their meanings are:
 
-\[Evaluator]    read-eval-print loop for evaluating expressions
-\[Debugger]     single character commands for debugging errors
-\[Where]                single character commands for examining environments
+[Evaluator]     read-eval-print loop for evaluating expressions
+[Debugger]      single character commands for debugging errors
+[Where]         single character commands for examining environments
 
 Starting with release 6.2 of Scheme, the latter two types of command
 interpreters will change the major mode of the Scheme process buffer
diff --git a/lisp/ps-print.el b/lisp/ps-print.el
index 218a02a7f6d..e9294279c23 100644
--- a/lisp/ps-print.el
+++ b/lisp/ps-print.el
@@ -1684,7 +1684,7 @@ non-default settings would be \"LPT1\" to \"LPT3\" for parallel printers, or
 for a shared network printer.  You can also set it to a name of a file, in
 which case the output gets appended to that file.  \(Note that `ps-print'
 package already has facilities for printing to a file, so you might as well use
-them instead of changing the setting of this variable.\)  If you want to
+them instead of changing the setting of this variable.)  If you want to
 silently discard the printed output, set this to \"NUL\".
 
 Set to t, if the utility given by `ps-lpr-command' needs an empty printer name.
@@ -3172,7 +3172,7 @@ This variable is used only when `ps-print-color-p' is set to `black-white'."
       font-lock-variable-name-face
       font-lock-keyword-face
       font-lock-warning-face))
-  "A list of the \(non-bold\) faces that should be printed in bold font.
+  "A list of the (non-bold) faces that should be printed in bold font.
 This applies to generating PostScript."
   :type '(repeat face)
   :version "20"
@@ -3185,7 +3185,7 @@ This applies to generating PostScript."
       font-lock-string-face
       font-lock-comment-face
       font-lock-warning-face))
-  "A list of the \(non-italic\) faces that should be printed in italic font.
+  "A list of the (non-italic) faces that should be printed in italic font.
 This applies to generating PostScript."
   :type '(repeat face)
   :version "20"
@@ -3196,7 +3196,7 @@ This applies to generating PostScript."
     '(font-lock-function-name-face
       font-lock-constant-face
       font-lock-warning-face))
-  "A list of the \(non-underlined\) faces that should be printed underlined.
+  "A list of the (non-underlined) faces that should be printed underlined.
 This applies to generating PostScript."
   :type '(repeat face)
   :version "20"
diff --git a/lisp/sort.el b/lisp/sort.el
index 9b8cec6ac68..9843749f0c8 100644
--- a/lisp/sort.el
+++ b/lisp/sort.el
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ FIELD, BEG and END.  BEG and END specify region to sort."
 ;;                             (point)
 ;;                             (save-excursion
 ;;                               (re-search-forward
-;;                                "[+-]?[0-9]*\.?[0-9]*\\([eE][+-]?[0-9]+\\)?")
+;;                                "[+-]?[0-9]*\\.?[0-9]*\\([eE][+-]?[0-9]+\\)?")
 ;;                               (point))))))
 ;;               nil))
 
diff --git a/lisp/speedbar.el b/lisp/speedbar.el
index 97c977cf1fc..17430587818 100644
--- a/lisp/speedbar.el
+++ b/lisp/speedbar.el
@@ -2857,7 +2857,7 @@ indicator, then do not add a space."
         (progn
           (goto-char speedbar-ro-to-do-point)
           (while (and (not (input-pending-p))
-                      (re-search-forward "^\\([0-9]+\\):\\s-*[[<][+-\?][]>] "
+                      (re-search-forward "^\\([0-9]+\\):\\s-*[[<][+-?][]>] "
                                          nil t))
             (setq speedbar-ro-to-do-point (point))
             (let ((f (speedbar-line-file)))
diff --git a/lisp/startup.el b/lisp/startup.el
index 971841fc0db..33855673170 100644
--- a/lisp/startup.el
+++ b/lisp/startup.el
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ the remaining command-line args are in the variable `command-line-args-left'.")
 
 (defvaralias 'argv 'command-line-args-left
   "List of command-line args not yet processed.
-This is a convenience alias, so that one can write \(pop argv\)
+This is a convenience alias, so that one can write \(pop argv)
 inside of --eval command line arguments in order to access
 following arguments.")
 (internal-make-var-non-special 'argv)
@@ -1970,7 +1970,7 @@ To quit a partially entered command, type Control-g.\n")
                  'action (lambda (_button) (info-emacs-manual))
                  'follow-link t)
   (insert "\tView the Emacs manual using Info\n")
-  (insert-button "\(Non)Warranty"
+  (insert-button "(Non)Warranty"
                  'action (lambda (_button) (describe-no-warranty))
                  'follow-link t)
   (insert "\t\tGNU Emacs comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY\n")
diff --git a/lisp/term.el b/lisp/term.el
index 06a44f29058..e5ae5530ce9 100644
--- a/lisp/term.el
+++ b/lisp/term.el
@@ -1919,7 +1919,7 @@ A useful command to bind to SPC.  See `term-replace-by-expanded-history'."
 (defun term-within-quotes (beg end)
   "Return t if the number of quotes between BEG and END is odd.
 Quotes are single and double."
-  (let ((countsq (term-how-many-region "\\(^\\|[^\\\\]\\)\'" beg end))
+  (let ((countsq (term-how-many-region "\\(^\\|[^\\\\]\\)'" beg end))
         (countdq (term-how-many-region "\\(^\\|[^\\\\]\\)\"" beg end)))
     (or (= (mod countsq 2) 1) (= (mod countdq 2) 1))))
 
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/bibtex.el b/lisp/textmodes/bibtex.el
index 279f657c0ec..df8066ee2fc 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/bibtex.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/bibtex.el
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ is present; but these fields are required otherwise.
 OPTIONAL is a list of optional fields.
 
 Each element of these lists is a list of the form
-  \(FIELD COMMENT INIT ALTERNATIVE).
+  (FIELD COMMENT INIT ALTERNATIVE).
 COMMENT, INIT, and ALTERNATIVE are optional.
 
 FIELD is the name of the field.
@@ -2620,7 +2620,7 @@ is returned unchanged."
   "Get content of BibTeX field FIELD.  Return empty string if not found.
 Optional arg CHANGE-LIST is a list of substitution patterns that is
 applied to the content of FIELD.  It is an alist with pairs
-\(OLD-REGEXP . NEW-STRING\)."
+\(OLD-REGEXP . NEW-STRING)."
   (let* ((bibtex-expand-strings bibtex-autokey-expand-strings)
          (content (bibtex-text-in-field field bibtex-autokey-use-crossref))
         case-fold-search)
@@ -3647,7 +3647,7 @@ If optional arg CONTENT is non-nil extract content of text fields."
 (defun bibtex-autofill-entry ()
   "Try to fill fields of current BibTeX entry based on neighboring entries.
 The current entry must have a key.  Determine the neighboring entry
-\(previous or next\) whose key is more similar to the key of the current
+\(previous or next) whose key is more similar to the key of the current
 entry.  For all empty fields of the current entry insert the corresponding
 field contents of the neighboring entry.  Finally try to update the text
 based on the difference between the keys of the neighboring and the current
@@ -5111,7 +5111,7 @@ entries from minibuffer."
   "Browse a URL for the BibTeX entry at point.
 Optional POS is the location of the BibTeX entry.
 The URL is generated using the schemes defined in `bibtex-generate-url-list'
-\(see there\).  If multiple schemes match for this entry, or the same scheme
+\(see there).  If multiple schemes match for this entry, or the same scheme
 matches more than once, use the one for which the first step's match is the
 closest to POS.  The URL is passed to `browse-url' unless NO-BROWSE is t.
 Return the URL or nil if none can be generated."
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/conf-mode.el b/lisp/textmodes/conf-mode.el
index 267d23f38de..770571a264e 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/conf-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/conf-mode.el
@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ For details see `conf-mode'.  Example:
 
 # Conf mode font-locks this right on Unix and with \\[conf-unix-mode]
 
-\[Desktop Entry]
+[Desktop Entry]
          Encoding=UTF-8
          Name=The GIMP
          Name[ca]=El GIMP
@@ -449,11 +449,11 @@ For details see `conf-mode'.  Example:
 
 ; Conf mode font-locks this right on Windows and with \\[conf-windows-mode]
 
-\[ExtShellFolderViews]
+[ExtShellFolderViews]
 Default={5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}
 {5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}={5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}
 
-\[{5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}]
+[{5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}]
 PersistMoniker=file://Folder.htt"
   (conf-mode-initialize ";"))
 
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/css-mode.el b/lisp/textmodes/css-mode.el
index 639456dc77e..aa5469e3465 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/css-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/css-mode.el
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@
        "\\(?:\\(:" (regexp-opt (append css-pseudo-class-ids
                                        css-pseudo-element-ids) t)
        "\\|\\::" (regexp-opt css-pseudo-element-ids t) "\\)"
-       "\\(?:([^\)]+)\\)?"
+       "\\(?:([^)]+)\\)?"
        (if (not sassy)
            "[^:{}\n]*"
          (concat "[^:{}\n#]*\\(?:" scss--hash-re "[^:{}\n#]*\\)*"))
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/ispell.el b/lisp/textmodes/ispell.el
index 87c2a95da49..fe27f0f158c 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/ispell.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/ispell.el
@@ -699,8 +699,8 @@ re-start Emacs."
 
 Each element of this list is also a list:
 
-\(DICTIONARY-NAME CASECHARS NOT-CASECHARS OTHERCHARS MANY-OTHERCHARS-P
-        ISPELL-ARGS EXTENDED-CHARACTER-MODE CHARACTER-SET\)
+ (DICTIONARY-NAME CASECHARS NOT-CASECHARS OTHERCHARS MANY-OTHERCHARS-P
+        ISPELL-ARGS EXTENDED-CHARACTER-MODE CHARACTER-SET)
 
 DICTIONARY-NAME is a possible string value of variable `ispell-dictionary',
 nil means the default dictionary.
@@ -747,7 +747,7 @@ when the language uses non-ASCII characters.
 Note that with \"ispell\" as the speller, the CASECHARS and
 OTHERCHARS slots of the alist should contain the same character
 set as casechars and otherchars in the LANGUAGE.aff file \(e.g.,
-english.aff\).  Aspell and Hunspell don't have this limitation.")
+english.aff).  Aspell and Hunspell don't have this limitation.")
 
 (defvar ispell-really-aspell nil
   "Non-nil if we can use Aspell extensions.")
@@ -2024,7 +2024,7 @@ in a window allowing you to choose one.
 
 If optional argument FOLLOWING is non-nil or if `ispell-following-word'
 is non-nil when called interactively, then the following word
-\(rather than preceding\) is checked when the cursor is not over a word.
+\(rather than preceding) is checked when the cursor is not over a word.
 When the optional argument QUIETLY is non-nil or `ispell-quietly' is non-nil
 when called interactively, non-corrective messages are suppressed.
 
@@ -2044,7 +2044,7 @@ Return values:
 nil           word is correct or spelling is accepted.
 0             word is inserted into buffer-local definitions.
 \"word\"        word corrected from word list.
-\(\"word\" arg\)  word is hand entered.
+\(\"word\" arg)  word is hand entered.
 quit          spell session exited."
   (interactive (list ispell-following-word ispell-quietly current-prefix-arg t))
   (cond
@@ -2162,7 +2162,7 @@ quit          spell session exited."
   "Return the word for spell-checking according to ispell syntax.
 If optional argument FOLLOWING is non-nil or if `ispell-following-word'
 is non-nil when called interactively, then the following word
-\(rather than preceding\) is checked when the cursor is not over a word.
+\(rather than preceding) is checked when the cursor is not over a word.
 Optional second argument contains otherchars that can be included in word
 many times (see the doc string of `ispell-dictionary-alist' for details
 about otherchars).
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/makeinfo.el b/lisp/textmodes/makeinfo.el
index b9b72ea644f..0ca4cbefe93 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/makeinfo.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/makeinfo.el
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ nonsensical results."
   "Make Info file from current buffer.
 
 Use the \\[next-error] command to move to the next error
-\(if there are errors\)."
+\(if there are errors)."
 
   (interactive)
   (cond ((null buffer-file-name)
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/page-ext.el b/lisp/textmodes/page-ext.el
index 57134e06c19..99962c75897 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/page-ext.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/page-ext.el
@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@ REVERSE (non-nil means reverse order), BEG and END (region to sort)."
 
 (defun sort-pages-buffer (&optional reverse)
   "Sort pages alphabetically in buffer.  Prefix arg means reverse order.
-\(Non-nil arg if not interactive.\)"
+\(Non-nil arg if not interactive.)"
 
   (interactive "P")
   (or reverse (setq reverse nil))
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ REVERSE (non-nil means reverse order), BEG and END (region to sort)."
 (defvar pages-directory-previous-regexp nil
   "Value of previous regexp used by `pages-directory'.
 \(This regular expression may be used to select only those pages that
-contain matches to the regexp.\)")
+contain matches to the regexp.)")
 
 (defvar pages-buffer nil
   "The buffer for which the pages-directory function creates the directory.")
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/refer.el b/lisp/textmodes/refer.el
index 8d824ebad35..22dc7dc9165 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/refer.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/refer.el
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ found on the last `refer-find-entry' or `refer-find-next-entry'."
                     (sit-for 1)
                     (setq files (cdr files))))))
        (ding)
-       (message "Keywords \"%s\" not found in any \.bib file" keywords))
+       (message "Keywords \"%s\" not found in any .bib file" keywords))
      (select-window old-window)))
 
 (defun refer-find-entry-in-file (keywords-list file &optional old-pos)
@@ -351,21 +351,21 @@ found on the last `refer-find-entry' or `refer-find-next-entry'."
                         (if (progn
                               (goto-char (point-min))
                               (re-search-forward (concat refer-bib-files-regexp
-                                                         "\\s-*\{") nil t))
+                                                         "\\s-*{") nil t))
                             (let ((files (list (buffer-substring
                                                 (point)
                                                 (progn
-                                                  (re-search-forward "[,\}]"
+                                                  (re-search-forward "[,}]"
                                                                      nil t)
                                                   (backward-char 1)
                                                   (point))))))
-                              (while (not (looking-at "\}"))
+                              (while (not (looking-at "}"))
                                 (setq files (append files
                                                     (list (buffer-substring
                                                            (progn (forward-char 1)
                                                                   (point))
                                                            (progn (re-search-forward
-                                                                   "[,\}]" nil t)
+                                                                   "[,}]" nil t)
                                                                   (backward-char 1)
                                                                   (point)))))))
                               files)
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/reftex-cite.el b/lisp/textmodes/reftex-cite.el
index 17e8cfdc83c..173c8a8d11d 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/reftex-cite.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/reftex-cite.el
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ The environment should be located in FILES."
                                                (buffer-substring-no-properties
                                                 start end)
                                                "[ \t\n\r]*\\\\bibitem[ \t]*\
-\\(\\[[^]]*]\\)*\[ \t]*"))))))
+\\(\\[[^]]*]\\)*[ \t]*"))))))
               (goto-char end))))))
     (unless entries
       (error "No bibitems found"))
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ If RAW is non-nil, keep double quotes/curly braces delimiting fields."
         (goto-char (point-min))
 
         (if (re-search-forward "@\\(\\(?:\\w\\|\\s_\\)+\\)[ \t\n\r]*\
-\[{(][ \t\n\r]*\\([^ \t\n\r,]+\\)" nil t)
+[{(][ \t\n\r]*\\([^ \t\n\r,]+\\)" nil t)
             (setq alist
                   (list
                    (cons "&type" (downcase (reftex-match-string 1)))
@@ -1195,7 +1195,7 @@ created files in the variables `reftex-create-bibtex-header' or
              (widen)
              (goto-char (point-min))
              (while (re-search-forward "^[ \t]*@\\(?:\\w\\|\\s_\\)+[ \t\n\r]*\
-\[{(][ \t\n\r]*\\([^ \t\n\r,]+\\)" nil t)
+[{(][ \t\n\r]*\\([^ \t\n\r,]+\\)" nil t)
                (setq key (match-string 1)
                      beg (match-beginning 0)
                      end (progn
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/reftex.el b/lisp/textmodes/reftex.el
index 7dc91844583..0ff1d72451e 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/reftex.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/reftex.el
@@ -2354,7 +2354,7 @@ what in fact did happen.
 Check if the bug is reproducible with an up-to-date version of
 RefTeX available from http://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/.
 
-If the bug is triggered by a specific \(La\)TeX file, you should try
+If the bug is triggered by a specific \(La)TeX file, you should try
 to produce a minimal sample file showing the problem and include it
 in your report.
 
@@ -2446,7 +2446,7 @@ of ENTRY-LIST is a list of cons cells (\"MACRONAME\" . LEVEL).  See
 
 ;;;***
 
-;;;### (autoloads nil "reftex-cite" "reftex-cite.el" "83811ccf3471820f0ad0dc005ffc88d5")
+;;;### (autoloads nil "reftex-cite" "reftex-cite.el" "43a3f05c024aee5b7708420f74266933")
 ;;; Generated autoloads from reftex-cite.el
 
 (autoload 'reftex-default-bibliography "reftex-cite" "\
@@ -2774,7 +2774,7 @@ Here are all local bindings.
 
 ;;;***
 
-;;;### (autoloads nil "reftex-parse" "reftex-parse.el" "c327a848a6d168412b1a9be9f2e3dce8")
+;;;### (autoloads nil "reftex-parse" "reftex-parse.el" "7bfdcb2f040dbe9a08d2c38c005c8f21")
 ;;; Generated autoloads from reftex-parse.el
 
 (autoload 'reftex-parse-one "reftex-parse" "\
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/rst.el b/lisp/textmodes/rst.el
index 9625ec2c7cc..e6bfe5f1662 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/rst.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/rst.el
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ in parentheses follows the development revision and the time stamp.")
     (opt-tag (:shy optsta-tag optnam-tag optarg-tag "?")) ; A complete option.
 
     ;; Footnotes and citations (`fnc')
-    (fncnam-prt "[^\]\n]") ; Part of a footnote or citation name.
+    (fncnam-prt "[^]\n]") ; Part of a footnote or citation name.
     (fncnam-tag fncnam-prt "+") ; A footnote or citation name.
     (fnc-tag "\\[" fncnam-tag "]") ; A complete footnote or citation tag.
     (fncdef-tag-2 (:grp exm-sta)
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ in parentheses follows the development revision and the time stamp.")
                                    ; colon tag.
 
     ;; Comments (`cmt')
-    (cmt-sta-1 (:grp exm-sta) "[^\[|_\n]"
+    (cmt-sta-1 (:grp exm-sta) "[^[|_\n]"
                (:alt "[^:\n]" (:seq ":" (:alt "[^:\n]" "$")))
                "*$") ; Start of a comment block; first group is explicit markup
                      ; start.
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/sgml-mode.el b/lisp/textmodes/sgml-mode.el
index cb65e5f1073..55a1e6d26db 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/sgml-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/sgml-mode.el
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ Do \\[describe-key] on the following bindings to discover what they do.
   ;; This is desirable because SGML discards a newline that appears
   ;; immediately after a start tag or immediately before an end tag.
   (setq-local paragraph-start (concat "[ \t]*$\\|\
-\[ \t]*</?\\(" sgml-name-re sgml-attrs-re "\\)?>"))
+[ \t]*</?\\(" sgml-name-re sgml-attrs-re "\\)?>"))
   (setq-local paragraph-separate (concat paragraph-start "$"))
   (setq-local adaptive-fill-regexp "[ \t]*")
   (add-hook 'fill-nobreak-predicate 'sgml-fill-nobreak nil t)
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/tex-mode.el b/lisp/textmodes/tex-mode.el
index 51cda80c5bd..0a4e070d4b5 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/tex-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/tex-mode.el
@@ -135,8 +135,8 @@ If nil, TeX runs with no options.  See the documentation of `tex-command'."
   "TeX commands to use when starting TeX.
 They are shell-quoted and precede the input file name, with a separating space.
 If nil, no commands are used.  See the documentation of `tex-command'."
-  :type '(radio (const :tag "Interactive \(nil\)" nil)
-                (const :tag "Nonstop \(\"\\nonstopmode\\input\"\)"
+  :type '(radio (const :tag "Interactive (nil)" nil)
+                (const :tag "Nonstop (\"\\nonstopmode\\input\")"
                        "\\nonstopmode\\input")
                 (string :tag "String at your choice"))
   :group 'tex-run
@@ -266,8 +266,8 @@ tex shell terminates.")
 
 (defvar tex-command "tex"
   "Command to run TeX.
-If this string contains an asterisk \(`*'\), that is replaced by the file name;
-otherwise the value of `tex-start-options', the \(shell-quoted\)
+If this string contains an asterisk \(`*'), that is replaced by the file name;
+otherwise the value of `tex-start-options', the \(shell-quoted)
 value of `tex-start-commands', and the file name are added at the end
 with blanks as separators.
 
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ An alternative value is \" . \", if you use a font with a narrow period."
       (goto-char (point-min))
       (while (search-forward-regexp
               "\\\\\\(include\\|input\\|verbatiminput\\|bibliography\\)\
-\[ \t]*{\\([^}\n]+\\)}"
+[ \t]*{\\([^}\n]+\\)}"
               nil t)
         (push (cons (concat "<<" (buffer-substring-no-properties
                                   (match-beginning 2)
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/texinfmt.el b/lisp/textmodes/texinfmt.el
index 37f10a8e871..500c1e38394 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/texinfmt.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/texinfmt.el
@@ -1043,7 +1043,7 @@ Leave point after argument."
            (setq texinfo-command-end (point)))
           (t
            (error
-            "Invalid `texinfo-optional-braces-discard' format \(need braces?\)")))
+            "Invalid `texinfo-optional-braces-discard' format (need braces?)")))
     (delete-region texinfo-command-start texinfo-command-end)))
 
 (defun texinfo-format-parse-line-args ()
@@ -2336,7 +2336,7 @@ Use only the FILENAME arg; for Info, ignore the other arguments to @image."
 ;; Write a `@definfoenclose' command on a line and follow it with three
 ;; arguments separated by commas (commas are used as separators in an
 ;; `@node' line in the same way).  The first argument to
-;; `@definfoenclose' is the @-command name \(without the `@'\); the
+;; `@definfoenclose' is the @-command name (without the `@'); the
 ;; second argument is the Info start delimiter string; and the third
 ;; argument is the Info end delimiter string.  The latter two arguments
 ;; enclose the highlighted text in the Info file.  A delimiter string
@@ -2491,8 +2491,8 @@ surrounded by in angle brackets."
 Enclose the verbatim text, including the delimiters, in braces.  Print
 text exactly as written (but not the delimiters) in a fixed-width.
 
-For example, @verb\{|@|\} results in @ and
-@verb\{+@\\='e?\\=`!\\=`+} results in @\\='e?\\=`!\\=`."
+For example, @verb{|@|} results in @ and
+@verb{+@\\='e?\\=`!\\=`+} results in @\\='e?\\=`!\\=`."
 
   (let ((delimiter (buffer-substring-no-properties
                     (1+ texinfo-command-end) (+ 2 texinfo-command-end))))
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/texinfo.el b/lisp/textmodes/texinfo.el
index 2c6d5b3827c..57218177d7b 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/texinfo.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/texinfo.el
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ command to gain use of `next-error'."
   "Make Info file from current buffer.
 
 Use the \\[next-error] command to move to the next error
-\(if there are errors\)."
+\(if there are errors)."
   t nil)
 
 (autoload 'kill-compilation
diff --git a/lisp/textmodes/texnfo-upd.el b/lisp/textmodes/texnfo-upd.el
index 0508426619f..321967a3721 100644
--- a/lisp/textmodes/texnfo-upd.el
+++ b/lisp/textmodes/texnfo-upd.el
@@ -694,8 +694,8 @@ section titles are often too short to explain a node well.
 
 MENU-LIST has form:
 
-    \(\(\"node-name1\" . \"description\"\)
-    \(\"node-name2\" . \"description\"\) ... \)
+    ((\"node-name1\" . \"description\")
+     (\"node-name2\" . \"description\") ... )
 
 However, the description field might be nil.
 
@@ -1002,9 +1002,9 @@ following menu and the title of the node preceding that menu.
 
 The master menu list has this form:
 
-    \(\(\(... \"entry-1-2\"  \"entry-1\"\) \"title-1\"\)
-      \(\(... \"entry-2-2\"  \"entry-2-1\"\) \"title-2\"\)
-      ...\)
+    (((... \"entry-1-2\"  \"entry-1\") \"title-1\")
+     ((... \"entry-2-2\"  \"entry-2-1\") \"title-2\")
+     ...)
 
 However, there does not need to be a title field."
 
@@ -1018,7 +1018,7 @@ However, there does not need to be a title field."
   "Format and insert the master menu in the current buffer."
   (goto-char (point-min))
   ;; Insert a master menu only after `Top' node and before next node
-  ;; \(or include file if there is no next node\).
+  ;; (or include file if there is no next node).
   (unless (re-search-forward "^@node [ \t]*top[ \t]*\\(,\\|$\\)" nil t)
     (error "This buffer needs a Top node"))
   (let ((first-chapter
@@ -1407,7 +1407,7 @@ level in the Texinfo file; when looking for the `Previous' pointer,
 the section found will be at the same or higher hierarchical level in
 the Texinfo file; when looking for the `Up' pointer, the section found
 will be at some level higher in the Texinfo file.  The fourth argument
-\(one of `next', `previous', or `up'\) specifies whether to find the
+\(one of `next', `previous', or `up') specifies whether to find the
 `Next', `Previous', or `Up' pointer."
   (let ((case-fold-search t))
     (cond ((eq direction 'next)
@@ -1850,8 +1850,8 @@ chapters."
 
 ;; The menu-list has the form:
 ;;
-;;     \(\(\"node-name1\" . \"title1\"\)
-;;       \(\"node-name2\" . \"title2\"\) ... \)
+;;     ((\"node-name1\" . \"title1\")
+;;      (\"node-name2\" . \"title2\") ... )
 ;;
 ;; However, there does not need to be a title field and this function
 ;; does not fill it; however a comment tells you how to do so.
diff --git a/lisp/thingatpt.el b/lisp/thingatpt.el
index a9c539b7b87..654bccd0988 100644
--- a/lisp/thingatpt.el
+++ b/lisp/thingatpt.el
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ The bounds of THING are determined by `bounds-of-thing-at-point'."
 
 (defun thing-at-point-bounds-of-list-at-point ()
   "Return the bounds of the list at point.
-\[Internal function used by `bounds-of-thing-at-point'.]"
+[Internal function used by `bounds-of-thing-at-point'.]"
   (save-excursion
     (let ((opoint (point))
           (beg (ignore-errors
diff --git a/lisp/tutorial.el b/lisp/tutorial.el
index 14f127e41a1..a4a422fbc4f 100644
--- a/lisp/tutorial.el
+++ b/lisp/tutorial.el
@@ -63,8 +63,8 @@ with default Emacs bindings information about this is shown.
 
 VALUE should have either of these formats:
 
-  \(cua-mode)
-  \(current-binding KEY-FUN DEF-FUN KEY WHERE)
+  (cua-mode)
+  (current-binding KEY-FUN DEF-FUN KEY WHERE)
 
 Where
   KEY         is a key sequence whose standard binding has been changed
@@ -402,8 +402,8 @@ where
   REMARK      is a list with info about rebinding. It has either of
               these formats:
 
-                \(TEXT cua-mode)
-                \(TEXT current-binding KEY-FUN DEF-FUN KEY WHERE)
+                (TEXT cua-mode)
+                (TEXT current-binding KEY-FUN DEF-FUN KEY WHERE)
 
               Here TEXT is a link text to show to the user.  The
               rest of the list is used to show information when
diff --git a/lisp/type-break.el b/lisp/type-break.el
index 85037364016..5f56956c52b 100644
--- a/lisp/type-break.el
+++ b/lisp/type-break.el
@@ -677,7 +677,7 @@ INTERVAL is the full length of an interval (defaults to TIME)."
 (defun type-break-check ()
   "Ask to take a typing break if appropriate.
 This may be the case either because the scheduled time has come \(and the
-minimum keystroke threshold has been reached\) or because the maximum
+minimum keystroke threshold has been reached) or because the maximum
 keystroke threshold has been exceeded."
   (type-break-file-keystroke-count)
   (let* ((min-threshold (car type-break-keystroke-threshold))
diff --git a/lisp/url/url-cookie.el b/lisp/url/url-cookie.el
index a7b3d16d46d..df9cf621037 100644
--- a/lisp/url/url-cookie.el
+++ b/lisp/url/url-cookie.el
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ telling Microsoft that."
     (and expires
          (string-match
           (concat "^[^,]+, +\\(..\\)-\\(...\\)-\\(..\\) +"
-                  "\\(..:..:..\\) +\\[*\\([^\]]+\\)\\]*$")
+                  "\\(..:..:..\\) +\\[*\\([^]]+\\)\\]*$")
           expires)
          (setq expires (concat (match-string 1 expires) " "
                                (match-string 2 expires) " "
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ to run the `url-cookie-setup-save-timer' function manually."
 
 (defun url-cookie-list ()
   "Display a buffer listing the current URL cookies, if there are any.
-Use \\<url-cookie-mode-map>\\\[url-cookie-delete] to remove cookies."
+Use \\<url-cookie-mode-map>\\[url-cookie-delete] to remove cookies."
   (interactive)
   (when (and (null url-cookie-secure-storage)
              (null url-cookie-storage))
diff --git a/lisp/url/url-dav.el b/lisp/url/url-dav.el
index 61ca0885ec5..1cf6b8209f9 100644
--- a/lisp/url/url-dav.el
+++ b/lisp/url/url-dav.el
@@ -495,7 +495,7 @@ make sure you are comfortable with it leaking to the outside world.")
 (defun url-dav-lock-resource (url exclusive &optional depth)
   "Request a lock on URL.  If EXCLUSIVE is non-nil, get an exclusive lock.
 Optional 3rd argument DEPTH says how deep the lock should go, default is 0
-\(lock only the resource and none of its children\).
+\(lock only the resource and none of its children).
 
 Returns a cons-cell of (SUCCESSFUL-RESULTS . FAILURE-RESULTS).
 SUCCESSFUL-RESULTS is a list of (URL STATUS locktoken).
diff --git a/lisp/url/url-gw.el b/lisp/url/url-gw.el
index cc0e4f8f8d6..ab61802a6bb 100644
--- a/lisp/url/url-gw.el
+++ b/lisp/url/url-gw.el
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
   :group 'url-gateway)
 
 (defcustom url-gateway-prompt-pattern
-  "^[^#$%>;]*[#$%>;] *" ;; "bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?"
+  "^[^#$%>;]*[#$%>;] *" ;; "bash\\|[$>] *\r?$"
   "A regular expression matching a shell prompt."
   :type 'regexp
   :group 'url-gateway)
diff --git a/lisp/url/url-handlers.el b/lisp/url/url-handlers.el
index 001a7831ad5..845195e7d4c 100644
--- a/lisp/url/url-handlers.el
+++ b/lisp/url/url-handlers.el
@@ -117,9 +117,9 @@ When URL Handler mode is enabled, this regular expression is
 added to `file-name-handler-alist'.
 
 Some valid URL protocols just do not make sense to visit
-interactively \(about, data, info, irc, mailto, etc\).  This
+interactively \(about, data, info, irc, mailto, etc.).  This
 regular expression avoids conflicts with local files that look
-like URLs \(Gnus is particularly bad at this\)."
+like URLs \(Gnus is particularly bad at this)."
   :group 'url
   :type 'regexp
   :version "25.1"
diff --git a/lisp/vc/diff-mode.el b/lisp/vc/diff-mode.el
index 37ed4a53b44..464e3754eb9 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/diff-mode.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/diff-mode.el
@@ -1427,8 +1427,8 @@ modified lines of the diff."
                    (diff-hunk-style)))))
     (set (make-local-variable 'whitespace-trailing-regexp)
          (if (eq style 'context)
-             "^[-\+!] .*?\\([\t ]+\\)$"
-           "^[-\+!<>].*?\\([\t ]+\\)$"))))
+             "^[-+!] .*?\\([\t ]+\\)$"
+           "^[-+!<>].*?\\([\t ]+\\)$"))))
 
 (defun diff-delete-if-empty ()
   ;; An empty diff file means there's no more diffs to integrate, so we
diff --git a/lisp/vc/ediff-diff.el b/lisp/vc/ediff-diff.el
index 352892c945a..7647544d65d 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/ediff-diff.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/ediff-diff.el
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ This variable can be set either in .emacs or toggled interactively.
 Use `setq-default' if setting it in .emacs")
 
 (ediff-defvar-local ediff-auto-refine-limit 14000
-  "Auto-refine only the regions of this size \(in bytes\) or less.")
+  "Auto-refine only the regions of this size (in bytes) or less.")
 
 ;;; General
 
diff --git a/lisp/vc/ediff-init.el b/lisp/vc/ediff-init.el
index 8c935bfab19..bf211599b9f 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/ediff-init.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/ediff-init.el
@@ -776,7 +776,7 @@ TYPE-OF-EMACS is either 'xemacs or 'emacs."
 
 ;; A var local to each control panel buffer.  Indicates highlighting style
 ;; in effect for this buffer: `face', `ascii',
-;; `off' -- turned off \(on a dumb terminal only\).
+;; `off' -- turned off (on a dumb terminal only).
 (ediff-defvar-local ediff-highlighting-style
   (if (and (ediff-has-face-support-p) ediff-use-faces) 'face 'ascii)
   "")
diff --git a/lisp/vc/ediff-ptch.el b/lisp/vc/ediff-ptch.el
index b5835cb2d6e..a3b8bf0a28a 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/ediff-ptch.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/ediff-ptch.el
@@ -90,14 +90,14 @@ See also `ediff-backup-specs'."
            ;; traditional `patch'
            (format "-b %s" ediff-backup-extension))))
   "Backup directives to pass to the patch program.
-Ediff requires that the old version of the file \(before applying the patch\)
+Ediff requires that the old version of the file \(before applying the patch)
 be saved in a file named `the-patch-file.extension'.  Usually `extension' is
 `.orig', but this can be changed by the user and may depend on the system.
 Therefore, Ediff needs to know the backup extension used by the patch program.
 
 Some versions of the patch program let you specify `-b backup-extension'.
 Other versions only permit `-b', which assumes the extension `.orig'
-\(in which case ediff-backup-extension MUST be also `.orig'\).  The latest
+\(in which case ediff-backup-extension MUST be also `.orig').  The latest
 versions of GNU patch require `-b -z backup-extension'.
 
 Note that both `ediff-backup-extension' and `ediff-backup-specs'
diff --git a/lisp/vc/ediff-util.el b/lisp/vc/ediff-util.el
index bf5bb5cd5da..e664f9fdac3 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/ediff-util.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/ediff-util.el
@@ -1500,7 +1500,7 @@ Used in ediff-windows/regions only."
     (select-window wind)))
 
 (defun ediff-scroll-vertically (&optional arg)
-  "Vertically scroll buffers A, B \(and C if appropriate\).
+  "Vertically scroll buffers A, B (and C if appropriate).
 With optional argument ARG, scroll ARG lines; otherwise scroll by nearly
 the one half of the height of window-A."
   (interactive "P")
@@ -1544,7 +1544,7 @@ the one half of the height of window-A."
 
 
 (defun ediff-scroll-horizontally (&optional arg)
-  "Horizontally scroll buffers A, B \(and C if appropriate\).
+  "Horizontally scroll buffers A, B (and C if appropriate).
 If an argument is given, that is how many columns are scrolled, else nearly
 the width of the A/B/C windows."
   (interactive "P")
@@ -1822,7 +1822,7 @@ If the prefix is negative, count differences from the end."
 
 (defun ediff-jump-to-difference-at-point (arg)
   "Go to difference closest to the point in buffer A, B, or C.
-The buffer depends on last command character \(a, b, or c\) that invoked this
+The buffer depends on last command character \(a, b, or c) that invoked this
 command.  For instance, if the command was `ga' then the point value in buffer
 A is used.
 With a prefix argument, synchronize all files around the current point position
@@ -1921,7 +1921,7 @@ in the specified buffer."
 ;;; Copying diffs.
 
 (defun ediff-diff-to-diff (arg &optional keys)
-  "Copy buffer-X'th difference region to buffer Y \(X,Y are A, B, or C\).
+  "Copy buffer-X'th difference region to buffer Y (X,Y are A, B, or C).
 If numerical prefix argument, copy the difference specified in the arg.
 Otherwise, copy the difference given by `ediff-current-difference'.
 This command assumes it is bound to a 2-character key sequence, `ab', `ba',
@@ -1986,7 +1986,7 @@ ARG is a prefix argument.  If nil, copy the current difference region."
 
 
 
-;; Copy diff N from FROM-BUF-TYPE \(given as A, B or C\) to TO-BUF-TYPE.
+;; Copy diff N from FROM-BUF-TYPE (given as A, B or C) to TO-BUF-TYPE.
 ;; If optional DO-NOT-SAVE is non-nil, do not save the old value of the
 ;; target diff.  This is used in merging, when constructing the merged
 ;; version.
@@ -2065,7 +2065,7 @@ ARG is a prefix argument.  If nil, copy the current difference region."
       (message "%s" messg))
     ))
 
-;; Save Nth diff of buffer BUF-TYPE \(A, B, or C\).
+;; Save Nth diff of buffer BUF-TYPE (A, B, or C).
 ;; That is to say, the Nth diff on the `ediff-killed-diffs-alist'.  REG
 ;; is the region to save.  It is redundant here, but is passed anyway, for
 ;; convenience.
@@ -2385,10 +2385,10 @@ the number seen by the user."
   "Finish an Ediff session and exit Ediff.
 Unselects the selected difference, if any, restores the read-only and modified
 flags of the compared file buffers, kills Ediff buffers for this session
-\(but not buffers A, B, C\).
+\(but not buffers A, B, C).
 
 If `ediff-keep-variants' is nil, the user will be asked whether the buffers
-containing the variants should be removed \(if they haven't been modified\).
+containing the variants should be removed \(if they haven't been modified).
 If it is t, they will be preserved unconditionally.  A prefix argument,
 temporarily reverses the meaning of this variable."
   (interactive "P")
@@ -3312,7 +3312,7 @@ and `wd' saves the diff output.
 
 With prefix argument, `wd' saves plain diff output.
 Without an argument, it saves customized diff argument, if available
-\(and plain output, if customized output was not generated\)."
+\(and plain output, if customized output was not generated)."
   (interactive "P")
   (ediff-barf-if-not-control-buffer)
   (ediff-compute-custom-diffs-maybe)
diff --git a/lisp/vc/ediff-wind.el b/lisp/vc/ediff-wind.el
index c31df824996..e0887f03b62 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/ediff-wind.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/ediff-wind.el
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ responsibility."
   "Function to call to determine the desired location for the control panel.
 Expects three parameters: the control buffer, the desired width and height
 of the control frame.  It returns an association list
-of the form \(\(top . <position>\) \(left . <position>\)\)"
+of the form \((top . <position>) \(left . <position>))"
   :type 'function
   :group 'ediff-window)
 
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ into icons, regardless of the window manager."
             three-way-comparison ediff-3way-comparison-job))
     ;; if in minibuffer go somewhere else
     (if (save-match-data
-          (string-match "\*Minibuf-" (buffer-name (window-buffer))))
+          (string-match "\\*Minibuf-" (buffer-name (window-buffer))))
         (select-window (next-window nil 'ignore-minibuf)))
     (delete-other-windows)
     (set-window-dedicated-p (selected-window) nil)
diff --git a/lisp/vc/ediff.el b/lisp/vc/ediff.el
index 65ca0bd4408..3a2d1e48aac 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/ediff.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/ediff.el
@@ -963,7 +963,7 @@ If WIND-B is nil, use window next to WIND-A."
 ;;;###autoload
 (defun ediff-regions-wordwise (buffer-A buffer-B &optional startup-hooks)
   "Run Ediff on a pair of regions in specified buffers.
-Regions \(i.e., point and mark\) can be set in advance or marked interactively.
+Regions (i.e., point and mark) can be set in advance or marked interactively.
 This function is effective only for relatively small regions, up to 200
 lines.  For large regions, use `ediff-regions-linewise'."
   (interactive
@@ -1003,7 +1003,7 @@ lines.  For large regions, use `ediff-regions-linewise'."
 ;;;###autoload
 (defun ediff-regions-linewise (buffer-A buffer-B &optional startup-hooks)
   "Run Ediff on a pair of regions in specified buffers.
-Regions \(i.e., point and mark\) can be set in advance or marked interactively.
+Regions (i.e., point and mark) can be set in advance or marked interactively.
 Each region is enlarged to contain full lines.
 This function is effective for large regions, over 100-200
 lines.  For small regions, use `ediff-regions-wordwise'."
diff --git a/lisp/vc/log-edit.el b/lisp/vc/log-edit.el
index acbd9c0cd9f..9857116e2d4 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/log-edit.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/log-edit.el
@@ -905,7 +905,7 @@ Return non-nil if it is."
 The return value looks like this:
   (LOGBUFFER (ENTRYSTART ENTRYEND) ...)
 where LOGBUFFER is the name of the ChangeLog buffer, and each
-\(ENTRYSTART . ENTRYEND\) pair is a buffer region."
+\(ENTRYSTART . ENTRYEND) pair is a buffer region."
   (let ((changelog-file-name
          (let ((default-directory
                  (file-name-directory (expand-file-name file)))
diff --git a/lisp/vc/vc-annotate.el b/lisp/vc/vc-annotate.el
index 3a50c9b6a2d..ab3161e11e6 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/vc-annotate.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/vc-annotate.el
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ cover the range from the oldest annotation to the newest."
      (/ (- (if full newest current) oldest)
         (vc-annotate-oldest-in-map vc-annotate-color-map))
      (if full newest))
-    (message "Redisplaying annotation...done \(%s\)"
+    (message "Redisplaying annotation...done (%s)"
              (if full
                  (format "Spanned from %.1f to %.1f days old"
                          (- current oldest)
diff --git a/lisp/vc/vc-cvs.el b/lisp/vc/vc-cvs.el
index 0aa9c5a1e22..73ef42ac7d6 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/vc-cvs.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/vc-cvs.el
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ switches."
   :version "25.1"
   :group 'vc-cvs)
 
-(defcustom vc-cvs-header '("\$Id\$")
+(defcustom vc-cvs-header '("$Id\ $")
   "Header keywords to be inserted by `vc-insert-headers'."
   :version "24.1"     ; no longer consult the obsolete vc-header-alist
   :type '(repeat string)
@@ -932,7 +932,7 @@ state."
         (when (and full
                    (re-search-forward
                     "\\(RCS Version\\|RCS Revision\\|Repository revision\\):\
-\[\t ]+\\([0-9.]+\\)"
+[\t ]+\\([0-9.]+\\)"
                     nil t))
             (vc-file-setprop file 'vc-latest-revision (match-string 2)))
         (vc-file-setprop
diff --git a/lisp/vc/vc-rcs.el b/lisp/vc/vc-rcs.el
index 71ffa55a6e9..995bd059f2d 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/vc-rcs.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/vc-rcs.el
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ If nil, use the value of `vc-diff-switches'.  If t, use no switches."
   :version "21.1"
   :group 'vc-rcs)
 
-(defcustom vc-rcs-header '("\$Id\$")
+(defcustom vc-rcs-header '("$Id\ $")
   "Header keywords to be inserted by `vc-insert-headers'."
   :type '(repeat string)
   :version "24.1"     ; no longer consult the obsolete vc-header-alist
@@ -1118,12 +1118,12 @@ Returns: nil            if no headers were found
 (defun vc-release-greater-or-equal (r1 r2)
   "Compare release numbers, represented as strings.
 Release components are assumed cardinal numbers, not decimal fractions
-\(5.10 is a higher release than 5.9\).  Omitted fields are considered
-lower \(5.6.7 is earlier than 5.6.7.1\).  Comparison runs till the end
+\(5.10 is a higher release than 5.9).  Omitted fields are considered
+lower \(5.6.7 is earlier than 5.6.7.1).  Comparison runs till the end
 of the string is found, or a non-numeric component shows up \(5.6.7 is
 earlier than \"5.6.7 beta\", which is probably not what you want in
-some cases\).  This code is suitable for existing RCS release numbers.
-CVS releases are handled reasonably, too \(1.3 < 1.4* < 1.5\)."
+some cases).  This code is suitable for existing RCS release numbers.
+CVS releases are handled reasonably, too \(1.3 < 1.4* < 1.5)."
   (let (v1 v2 i1 i2)
     (catch 'done
       (or (and (string-match "^\\.?\\([0-9]+\\)" r1)
diff --git a/lisp/vc/vc-svn.el b/lisp/vc/vc-svn.el
index 755dbc1ca3b..4ef63a23db5 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/vc-svn.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/vc-svn.el
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ switches."
   :version "25.1"
   :group 'vc-svn)
 
-(defcustom vc-svn-header '("\$Id\$")
+(defcustom vc-svn-header '("$Id\ $")
   "Header keywords to be inserted by `vc-insert-headers'."
   :version "24.1"     ; no longer consult the obsolete vc-header-alist
   :type '(repeat string)
diff --git a/lisp/vc/vc.el b/lisp/vc/vc.el
index 3b9e788b7ab..90d450a5ab9 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/vc.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/vc.el
@@ -850,9 +850,9 @@ See `run-hooks'."
 
 (defcustom vc-static-header-alist
   '(("\\.c\\'" .
-     "\n#ifndef lint\nstatic char vcid[] = \"\%s\";\n#endif /* lint */\n"))
+     "\n#ifndef lint\nstatic char vcid[] = \"%s\";\n#endif /* lint */\n"))
   "Associate static header string templates with file types.
-A \%s in the template is replaced with the first string associated with
+A %s in the template is replaced with the first string associated with
 the file's version control type in `vc-BACKEND-header'."
   :type '(repeat (cons :format "%v"
                        (regexp :tag "File Type")
@@ -2093,7 +2093,7 @@ changes from the current branch."
 (defun vc-tag-precondition (dir)
   "Scan the tree below DIR, looking for files not up-to-date.
 If any file is not up-to-date, return the name of the first such file.
-\(This means, neither tag creation nor retrieval is allowed.\)
+\(This means, neither tag creation nor retrieval is allowed.)
 If one or more of the files are currently visited, return `visited'.
 Otherwise, return nil."
   (let ((status nil))
diff --git a/lisp/vcursor.el b/lisp/vcursor.el
index 440a2786551..7e503269a8a 100644
--- a/lisp/vcursor.el
+++ b/lisp/vcursor.el
@@ -573,11 +573,11 @@ With optional NOT-THIS non-nil never return the current window.
 
 With NEW-WIN non-nil, display the virtual cursor buffer in another
 window if the virtual cursor is not currently visible \(note, however,
-that this function never changes `window-point'\).
+that this function never changes `window-point').
 
 With THIS-FRAME non-nil, don't search other frames for a new window
 \(though if the vcursor is already off-frame then its current window is
-always considered, and the value of `pop-up-frames' is always respected\).
+always considered, and the value of `pop-up-frames' is always respected).
 
 Returns nil if the virtual cursor is not visible anywhere suitable.
 Set `vcursor-window' to the returned value as a side effect."
diff --git a/lisp/woman.el b/lisp/woman.el
index b4f4669de92..8fe1bfa0446 100644
--- a/lisp/woman.el
+++ b/lisp/woman.el
@@ -3549,7 +3549,7 @@ The expression may be an argument in quotes."
                        (if (> (woman-parse-numeric-value) 0) 1 0))
                      )))
             ))
-;    (if (looking-at "[ \t\nRC\)\"]")   ; R, C are tab types
+;    (if (looking-at "[ \t\nRC)\"]")    ; R, C are tab types
 ;       ()
 ;      (WoMan-warn "Unimplemented numerical operator `%c' in %s"
 ;                 (following-char)
@@ -3583,7 +3583,7 @@ expression in parentheses.  Leaves point after the value."
                     ;; string-to-number returns 0 if number not parsed.
                     (string-to-number (match-string 0)))
                    ((looking-at "\\\\n\\([-+]\\)?\\(?:\
-\\[\\([^]]+\\)\\]\\|\(\\(..\\)\\|\\(.\\)\\)")
+\\[\\([^]]+\\)\\]\\|(\\(..\\)\\|\\(.\\)\\)")
                     ;; interpolate number register, maybe auto-incremented
                     (let* ((pm (match-string-no-properties 1))
                            (name (or (match-string-no-properties 2)
@@ -3761,7 +3761,7 @@ Round to whole lines, default 1 line.  Format paragraphs upto TO.
 
 (defun woman2-TH (to)
   ".TH n c x v m -- Begin a man page.  Format paragraphs upto TO.
-n is the name of the page in chapter c\; x is extra commentary\;
+n is the name of the page in chapter c; x is extra commentary;
 v alters page foot left; m alters page head center.
 \(Should set prevailing indent and tabs to 5.)"
   (woman-forward-arg 'unquote 'concat)
@@ -4349,7 +4349,7 @@ Format paragraphs upto TO."
 
 (defun woman2-ta (to)
   ".ta Nt ... -- Set tabs, left type, unless t=R(right), C(centered).
-\(Breaks, but should not.)  The tab stops are separated by spaces\;
+\(Breaks, but should not.)  The tab stops are separated by spaces;
 a value preceded by + represents an increment to the previous stop value.
 Format paragraphs upto TO."
   (setq tab-stop-list nil)
diff --git a/test/automated/ert-x-tests.el b/test/automated/ert-x-tests.el
index 11b7ed4da7f..660a1cb218e 100644
--- a/test/automated/ert-x-tests.el
+++ b/test/automated/ert-x-tests.el
@@ -224,8 +224,8 @@
   "This test attempts to demonstrate that there is no way to
 force immediate truncation of the *Messages* buffer from Lisp
 \(and hence justifies the existence of
-`ert--force-message-log-buffer-truncation'\): The only way that
-came to my mind was \(message \"\"\), which doesn't have the
+`ert--force-message-log-buffer-truncation'): The only way that
+came to my mind was \(message \"\"), which doesn't have the
 desired effect."
   :tags '(:causes-redisplay)
   (ert-with-buffer-renamed ("*Messages*")
diff --git a/test/automated/icalendar-tests.el b/test/automated/icalendar-tests.el
index c83044c719e..7e05d49883e 100644
--- a/test/automated/icalendar-tests.el
+++ b/test/automated/icalendar-tests.el
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ END:VTIMEZONE
     (should (string= "STD-02:00DST-03:00,M3.5.0/03:00:00,M10.5.0/04:00:00"
                      (cdr result)))
     (setq vtimezone (icalendar-tests--get-ical-event "BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
-TZID:anothername\, with a comma
+TZID:anothername, with a comma
 BEGIN:STANDARD
 DTSTART:16010101T040000
 TZOFFSETFROM:+0300
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ END:VTIMEZONE
                      (cdr result)))
     ;; offsetfrom = offsetto
     (setq vtimezone (icalendar-tests--get-ical-event "BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
-TZID:Kolkata\, Chennai\, Mumbai\, New Delhi
+TZID:Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi
 X-MICROSOFT-CDO-TZID:23
 BEGIN:STANDARD
 DTSTART:16010101T000000
@@ -1327,7 +1327,7 @@ DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20030919T113000"
   (icalendar-tests--test-import
    "BEGIN:VCALENDAR
 BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
-TZID:fictional\, nonexistent\, arbitrary
+TZID:fictional, nonexistent, arbitrary
 BEGIN:STANDARD
 DTSTART:20100101T000000
 TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
@@ -1463,7 +1463,7 @@ METHOD:REQUEST
 PRODID:Microsoft CDO for Microsoft Exchange
 VERSION:2.0
 BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
-TZID:Kolkata\, Chennai\, Mumbai\, New Delhi
+TZID:Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi
 X-MICROSOFT-CDO-TZID:23
 BEGIN:STANDARD
 DTSTART:16010101T000000
@@ -2174,7 +2174,7 @@ METHOD:REQUEST
 PRODID:Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
 VERSION:2.0
 BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
-TZID:(UTC+01:00) Amsterdam\, Berlin\, Bern\, Rome\, Stockholm\, Vienna
+TZID:(UTC+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna
 BEGIN:STANDARD
 DTSTART:16010101T030000
 TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
diff --git a/test/etags/el-src/emacs/lisp/progmodes/etags.el b/test/etags/el-src/emacs/lisp/progmodes/etags.el
index 6acafdbaba0..4e079200ee0 100644
--- a/test/etags/el-src/emacs/lisp/progmodes/etags.el
+++ b/test/etags/el-src/emacs/lisp/progmodes/etags.el
@@ -1766,7 +1766,7 @@ if the file was newly read in, the value is the filename."
                 "No \\[tags-search] or \\[tags-query-replace] in progress"))
   "Form for `tags-loop-continue' to eval to scan one file.
 If it returns non-nil, this file needs processing by evalling
-\`tags-loop-operate'.  Otherwise, move on to the next file.")
+`tags-loop-operate'.  Otherwise, move on to the next file.")
 
 (defun tags-loop-eval (form)
   "Evaluate FORM and return its result.