diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index f5b863d6..56b5fc2a 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2001-08-29  Akim Demaille  <akim@epita.fr>
+
+	* bin/autom4te.in (&handle_output): s/@__@/@&t@/.
+	Suggested by Paul Eggert.
+
 2001-08-29  Akim Demaille  <akim@epita.fr>
 
 	* Makefile.maint (do-po-update): Wget refuses to overwrite files:
diff --git a/bin/autom4te.in b/bin/autom4te.in
index 421f8b02..91cb04ed 100644
--- a/bin/autom4te.in
+++ b/bin/autom4te.in
@@ -716,10 +716,26 @@ sub handle_output ($$)
 	}
 
       # Performed *last*: the empty quadrigraph.  Handling it last
-      # makes it possible to generate quadrigraphs, e.g. `@<@__@:@'
+      # makes it possible to generate quadrigraphs, e.g. `@<@&t@:@'
       # produces `@<:@'.  In addition, it provides a means to
       # explicitly allow some *occurrences* of forbidden patterns.
-      $res =~ s/\@__\@//g;
+      #
+      # The use of `@&t@' was suggested by Paul Eggert:
+      #
+      # ``I should give some credit to the @&t@ pun.  The "&" is my
+      # own invention, but the "t" came from the source code of the
+      # ALGOL68C compiler, written by Steve Bourne (of Bourne shell
+      # fame), and which used "mt" to denote the empty string.  In C,
+      # it would have looked like something like this:
+      #
+      # char const mt[] = "";
+      #
+      # but of course the source code was written in Algol 68.
+      #
+      # I don't know where he got "mt" from: it could have been his
+      # own invention, and I suppose it could have been a common pun
+      # around the Cambridge University computer lab at the time.''
+      $res =~ s/\@&t\@//g;
 
       print $out "$res\n";
     }
diff --git a/tests/base.at b/tests/base.at
index d7ef1746..1a3ed969 100644
--- a/tests/base.at
+++ b/tests/base.at
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ AT_SETUP([AC_REQUIRE: topological sort])
 AT_DATA([configure.ac],
 [[define([REQUIRE_AND_CHECK],
 [AC_REQUIRE([$1])
-test -z "$m4@__@_translit([$1], [A-Z], [a-z])" && AS_EXIT(1)])
+test -z "$m4@&t@_translit([$1], [A-Z], [a-z])" && AS_EXIT(1)])
 
 AC_DEFUN([TEST1],
 [REQUIRE_AND_CHECK([TEST2a])
diff --git a/tests/m4sh.at b/tests/m4sh.at
index e068126b..0f1a6b58 100644
--- a/tests/m4sh.at
+++ b/tests/m4sh.at
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ AT_DATA([configure.ac],
 [[AC_PLAIN_SCRIPT()
 #! /bin/sh
 
-_AS@__@_EXPR_PREPARE
+_AS@&t@_EXPR_PREPARE
 
 m4_define([DIRNAME_TEST],
 [dir=`AS_DIRNAME([$1])`
diff --git a/tests/m4sugar.at b/tests/m4sugar.at
index c36a19d5..c1096756 100644
--- a/tests/m4sugar.at
+++ b/tests/m4sugar.at
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ AT_SETUP([[m4_text_wrap]])
 # m4-listification.
 
 AT_DATA([script.s4g],
-[[m4@__@_divert_push([0])m4@__@_wrap([m4@__@_divert_pop([0])])d@__@nl
+[[m4@&t@_divert_push([0])m4@&t@_wrap([m4@&t@_divert_pop([0])])d@&t@nl
 m4_text_wrap([Short string */], [   ], [/* ], 20)
 
 m4_text_wrap([Much longer string */], [   ], [/* ], 20)
diff --git a/tests/tools.at b/tests/tools.at
index 4fa30600..065b5423 100644
--- a/tests/tools.at
+++ b/tests/tools.at
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ BAC_FOO
 B_AC_FOO
 AS_FOO
 _AS_BAR
-[d@__@nl]
+[d@&t@nl]
 ]])
 
 AT_CHECK_AUTOCONF([], 1, [],
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ configure.ac:5: error: possibly undefined macro: _m4_bar
 configure.ac:7: error: possibly undefined macro: B_AC_FOO
 configure.ac:8: error: possibly undefined macro: AS_FOO
 configure.ac:9: error: possibly undefined macro: _AS_BAR
-configure.ac:10: error: possibly undefined macro: d@__@nl
+configure.ac:10: error: possibly undefined macro: d@&t@nl
 ]])
 
 AT_CLEANUP
@@ -291,11 +291,11 @@ AT_DATA([configure.ac],
 # This is allowed in spite of the name.
 # It is on purpose that we check the case where there are several
 # tokens on the same line.
-m4@__@_pattern_allow([^AC_ALLOWED$])
+m4@&t@_pattern_allow([^AC_ALLOWED$])
 NOT_AC_ALLOWED AC_ALLOWED AC_ALLOWED_NOT
 
 # Test forbidding.
-m4@__@_pattern_forbid([^FORBIDDEN$])
+m4@&t@_pattern_forbid([^FORBIDDEN$])
 NOT_FORBIDDEN FORBIDDEN FORBIDDEN_NOT
 
 # Test Autoconf's patterns.