diff --git a/check.t b/check.t
index 3e7fd2b..f669b0c 100644
--- a/check.t
+++ b/check.t
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# $MirOS: src/bin/mksh/check.t,v 1.546 2012/06/28 20:04:01 tg Exp $
+# $MirOS: src/bin/mksh/check.t,v 1.547 2012/06/28 20:05:05 tg Exp $
 # $OpenBSD: bksl-nl.t,v 1.2 2001/01/28 23:04:56 niklas Exp $
 # $OpenBSD: history.t,v 1.5 2001/01/28 23:04:56 niklas Exp $
 # $OpenBSD: read.t,v 1.3 2003/03/10 03:48:16 david Exp $
@@ -4085,9 +4085,11 @@ description:
 	(so quotes could also be used to hide hem).  The former is
 	easier, the later better...
 stdin:
-	echo $(echo \()
+	echo $(echo \( )
+	echo $(echo "(" )
 expected-stdout:
 	(
+	(
 ---
 name: regression-9
 description:
@@ -6395,6 +6397,17 @@ expected-stdout:
 	source='PATH=$PATH:. command .'
 	type='whence -v'
 ---
+name: aliases-cmdline
+description:
+	Check that aliases work from the command line (Debian #517009)
+	Note that due to the nature of the lexing process, defining
+	aliases in COMSUBs then immediately using them, and things
+	like 'alias foo=bar && foo', still fail.
+stdin:
+	"$__progname" -c $'alias a="echo OK"\na'
+expected-stdout:
+	OK
+---
 name: aliases-funcdef-1
 description:
 	Check if POSIX functions take precedences over aliases
diff --git a/lex.c b/lex.c
index 4ac388a..cd8bdfb 100644
--- a/lex.c
+++ b/lex.c
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 
 #include "sh.h"
 
-__RCSID("$MirOS: src/bin/mksh/lex.c,v 1.163 2012/05/04 22:44:33 tg Exp $");
+__RCSID("$MirOS: src/bin/mksh/lex.c,v 1.164 2012/06/28 20:05:07 tg Exp $");
 
 /*
  * states while lexing word
@@ -1283,6 +1283,7 @@ getsc_uu(void)
 			break;
 
 		case SSTRING:
+		case SSTRINGCMDLINE:
 			break;
 
 		case SWORDS:
diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index 3ebbbfd..ebae37b 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 #include <locale.h>
 #endif
 
-__RCSID("$MirOS: src/bin/mksh/main.c,v 1.223 2012/06/24 20:15:47 tg Exp $");
+__RCSID("$MirOS: src/bin/mksh/main.c,v 1.224 2012/06/28 20:05:08 tg Exp $");
 
 extern char **environ;
 
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ main_init(int argc, const char *argv[], Source **sp, struct block **lp)
 		/* auto-detect from environment variables, always */
 		utf_flag = 3;
 	} else if (Flag(FCOMMAND)) {
-		s = pushs(SSTRING, ATEMP);
+		s = pushs(SSTRINGCMDLINE, ATEMP);
 		if (!(s->start = s->str = argv[argi++]))
 			errorf("%s %s", "-c", "requires an argument");
 #ifdef MKSH_MIDNIGHTBSD01ASH_COMPAT
diff --git a/mksh.1 b/mksh.1
index 09b608d..f8b3edb 100644
--- a/mksh.1
+++ b/mksh.1
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.\" $MirOS: src/bin/mksh/mksh.1,v 1.286 2012/06/25 16:22:59 tg Exp $
+.\" $MirOS: src/bin/mksh/mksh.1,v 1.287 2012/06/28 20:05:09 tg Exp $
 .\" $OpenBSD: ksh.1,v 1.143 2012/06/19 16:41:00 jmc Exp $
 .\"-
 .\" Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 .\" with -mandoc, it might implement .Mx itself, but we want to
 .\" use our own definition. And .Dd must come *first*, always.
 .\"
-.Dd $Mdocdate: June 25 2012 $
+.Dd $Mdocdate: June 28 2012 $
 .\"
 .\" Check which macro package we use, and do other -mdoc setup.
 .\"
@@ -1068,6 +1068,12 @@ space or tab, the following word is also checked for alias expansion.
 The alias expansion process stops when a word that is not an alias is found,
 when a quoted word is found, or when an alias word that is currently being
 expanded is found.
+Aliases are specifically an interactive feature: while they do happen
+to work in scripts and on the command line in some cases, aliases are
+expanded during lexing, so their use must be in a separate command tree
+from their definition; otherwise, the alias will not be found.
+Noticeably, command lists (separated by semicolon, in command substitutions
+also by newline) may be one same parse tree.
 .Pp
 The following command aliases are defined automatically by the shell:
 .Bd -literal -offset indent
diff --git a/sh.h b/sh.h
index b3812b8..cefebee 100644
--- a/sh.h
+++ b/sh.h
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@
 #endif
 
 #ifdef EXTERN
-__RCSID("$MirOS: src/bin/mksh/sh.h,v 1.566 2012/06/28 20:02:28 tg Exp $");
+__RCSID("$MirOS: src/bin/mksh/sh.h,v 1.567 2012/06/28 20:05:11 tg Exp $");
 #endif
 #define MKSH_VERSION "R40 2012/06/26"
 
@@ -1462,6 +1462,7 @@ struct source {
 #define SWORDSEP	6	/* string[] separator */
 #define SALIAS		7	/* alias expansion */
 #define SREREAD		8	/* read ahead to be re-scanned */
+#define SSTRINGCMDLINE	9	/* string from "mksh -c ..." */
 
 /* Source.flags values */
 #define SF_ECHO		BIT(0)	/* echo input to shlout */