diff --git a/ext2spice/ext2spice.c b/ext2spice/ext2spice.c
index 8c282178..976ab6b8 100644
--- a/ext2spice/ext2spice.c
+++ b/ext2spice/ext2spice.c
@@ -3359,7 +3359,6 @@ char *nodeSpiceName(hname, rnode)
     EFNodeName *nn;
     HashEntry *he;
     EFNode *node;
-    char *p, *s;
 
     if (rnode) *rnode = (EFNode *)NULL;
     he = EFHNLook(hname, (char *) NULL, "nodeName");
@@ -3385,21 +3384,8 @@ makeName:
        if ( esFormat == HSPICE ) /* more processing */
 	nodeHspiceName(esTempName);
     }
-
-    /* Strip any escaped-slash hiearchy dividers or array delimiters	*/
-    /* out of the name, as they have been put there to prevent magic	*/
-    /* from interpeting them as hierarchy divers or array delimiters.	*/
-
-    for (s = p = esTempName; *s; p++, s++)
-    {
-	if ((*s == '\\') && ((*(s + 1) == '/') || (*(s + 1) == '[')
-			|| (*(s + 1) == ']')))
-	    s++;
-	if (p != s) *p = *s;
-    }
-    if (p != s) *p = *s;	/* Copy trailing NULL */
-
-    ((nodeClient *)(node->efnode_client))->spiceNodeName = StrDup(NULL, esTempName);
+   ((nodeClient *) (node->efnode_client))->spiceNodeName =
+	    StrDup(NULL, esTempName);
 
 retName:
     return ((nodeClient *) (node->efnode_client))->spiceNodeName;
@@ -3413,8 +3399,7 @@ retName:
  * Create a hierarchical node name.
  * The flags in EFTrimFlags control whether global (!) or local (#)
  * suffixes are to be trimmed. Also substitutes \. with \@ if the
- * format is hspice.  Backslash-escaped slashes are converted back
- * to the original character.
+ * format is hspice.
  *
  * Results:
  *	None.
@@ -3431,34 +3416,36 @@ EFHNSprintf(str, hierName)
     HierName *hierName;
 {
     bool trimGlob, trimLocal, convertComma, convertEqual, convertBrackets;
-    char *cp, c;
+    char *s, *cp, c;
     char *efHNSprintfPrefix(HierName *, char *);
 
+    s = str;
     if (hierName->hn_parent) str = efHNSprintfPrefix(hierName->hn_parent, str);
-
-    cp = hierName->hn_name;
-    trimGlob = (EFTrimFlags & EF_TRIMGLOB);
-    trimLocal = (EFTrimFlags & EF_TRIMLOCAL);
-    convertComma = (EFTrimFlags & EF_CONVERTCOMMA);
-    convertEqual = (EFTrimFlags & EF_CONVERTEQUAL);
-    convertBrackets = (EFTrimFlags & EF_CONVERTBRACKETS);
-    while (c = *cp++)
+    if (EFTrimFlags)
     {
-	switch (c)
+	cp = hierName->hn_name;
+	trimGlob = (EFTrimFlags & EF_TRIMGLOB);
+	trimLocal = (EFTrimFlags & EF_TRIMLOCAL);
+	convertComma = (EFTrimFlags & EF_CONVERTCOMMA);
+	convertEqual = (EFTrimFlags & EF_CONVERTEQUAL);
+	convertBrackets = (EFTrimFlags & EF_CONVERTBRACKETS);
+	while (c = *cp++)
 	{
-	    case '!':	if (!trimGlob) *str++ = c; break;
-	    case '.':	*str++ = (esFormat == HSPICE)?'@':'.'; break;
-	    case '=':	if (convertEqual) *str++ = ':'; break;
-	    case ',':	if (convertComma) *str++ = '|'; break;
-	    case '[':	*str++ = (convertBrackets) ? '_' : '['; break;
-	    case ']':	*str++ = (convertBrackets) ? '_' : ']'; break;
-	    case '\\':	if (*(cp + 1) == '/') str++; break;
-	    case '#':	if (trimLocal) break;	// else fall through
-	    default:	*str++ = c; break;
+	    switch (c)
+	    {
+		case '!':	if (!trimGlob) *str++ = c; break;
+		case '.':	*str++ = (esFormat == HSPICE)?'@':'.'; break;
+		case '=':	if (convertEqual) *str++ = ':'; break;
+		case ',':	if (convertComma) *str++ = '|'; break;
+		case '[':	*str++ = (convertBrackets) ? '_' : '['; break;
+		case ']':	*str++ = (convertBrackets) ? '_' : ']'; break;
+		case '#':	if (trimLocal) break;	// else fall through
+		default:	*str++ = c; break;
+	    }
 	}
+	*str++ = '\0';
     }
-    *str++ = '\0';
-
+    else strcpy(str, hierName->hn_name);
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/extflat/EFbuild.c b/extflat/EFbuild.c
index ccb38dc8..09ac3a2e 100644
--- a/extflat/EFbuild.c
+++ b/extflat/EFbuild.c
@@ -1142,98 +1142,6 @@ efBuildAddStr(table, pMax, size, str)
     return max;
 }
 
-/*
- * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- *
- * efNeedsCleanName --
- *
- * Determine if a name needs to be cleaned by efMakeCleanName, to avoid
- * excessive and unnecessary string allocation and copying .
- *
- * "level" is 0 or 1, defined as it is for efMakeCleanName() (see below).
- *
- * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- */
-
-bool
-efNeedsCleanName(str, level)
-    char *str;
-    int level;
-{ 
-    char *s;
-    bool seenOne = FALSE;
-    bool needsCleaning = FALSE;
-
-    for (s = str; *s; s++)
-	if (*s == '/')
-	    if ((s == str) || (*(s - 1) != '\\'))
-	    {
-		if ((level == 0) || seenOne)
-		{
-		    needsCleaning = TRUE;
-		    break;
-		}
-		seenOne = TRUE;
-	    }
-
-    return needsCleaning;
-}
-
-/*
- * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- *
- * efMakeCleanName --
- *
- * Generate a copy of a name like StrDup(), but cleanse the name of slash
- * characters by backslash-escaping them.  This lets ext2spice differentiate
- * between slashes that are part of an instance name and the hierarchical
- * name for a node, which is built up internally with slash characters.
- *
- * "level" is the number of slashes at the end which are part of the
- * hierarchy and not part of the name.  "use" lines in the .ext file should
- * have a level of 0, while "merge" lines have a level of 1.  No other values
- * of "level" are supported.
- *
- * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- */
-
-char *
-efMakeCleanName(str, level)
-    char *str;
-    int level;
-{
-    char *rstr;
-    char *s, *p, *ssave;
-    int escapes;
-
-    /* Count unescaped slashes in the string */
-    escapes = 0;
-    ssave = NULL;
-    for (s = str; *s; s++)
-	if (*s == '/')
-	    if ((s == str) || (*(s - 1) != '\\'))
-	    {
-		ssave = s;
-		escapes++;
-	    }
-
-    if (escapes > 0)
-	escapes -= level;
-
-    rstr = (char *)mallocMagic(strlen(str) + 1 + escapes);
-    
-    for (s = str, p = rstr; *s; s++, p++)
-    {
-	if (*s == '/')
-	    if ((s == str) || (*(s - 1) != '\\'))
-		if ((level == 0) || (s != ssave))
-		    *p++ = '\\';
-	*p = *s;
-    }
-    *p = *s;		/* Copy final NULL */
-    return rstr;
-}
- 
 /*
  * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  *
@@ -1305,12 +1213,12 @@ efBuildUse(def, subDefName, subUseId, ta, tb, tc, td, te, tf)
 		    &newuse->use_ylo, &newuse->use_yhi, &newuse->use_ysep)) == 6)
 	{
 	    *cp = '\0';
-	    newuse->use_id = efMakeCleanName(subUseId, 0);
+	    newuse->use_id = StrDup((char **) NULL, subUseId);
 	    *cp = '[';
 	}
 	else
 	{
-	    newuse->use_id = efMakeCleanName(subUseId, 0);
+	    newuse->use_id = StrDup((char **) NULL, subUseId);
 	    newuse->use_xlo = newuse->use_xhi = 0;
 	    newuse->use_ylo = newuse->use_yhi = 0;
 	    newuse->use_xsep = newuse->use_ysep = 0;
@@ -1352,20 +1260,13 @@ efBuildConnect(def, nodeName1, nodeName2, deltaC, av, ac)
     int ac;		/* Number of strings in av */
 {
     int n;
-    char *locName1, *locName2;
     Connection *conn;
     unsigned size = sizeof (Connection)
 		    + (efNumResistClasses - 1) * sizeof (EFPerimArea);
 
     conn = (Connection *) mallocMagic((unsigned)(size));
 
-    locName1 = nodeName1;
-    if (efNeedsCleanName(nodeName1)) locName1 = efMakeCleanName(nodeName1, 1);
-
-    locName2 = nodeName2;
-    if (efNeedsCleanName(nodeName2)) locName2 = efMakeCleanName(nodeName2, 1);
-
-    if (efConnInitSubs(conn, locName1, locName2))
+    if (efConnInitSubs(conn, nodeName1, nodeName2))
     {
 	conn->conn_cap = (EFCapValue) deltaC;
 	conn->conn_next = def->def_conns;
@@ -1379,9 +1280,6 @@ efBuildConnect(def, nodeName1, nodeName2, deltaC, av, ac)
 	    conn->conn_pa[n].pa_area = conn->conn_pa[n].pa_perim = 0;
 	def->def_conns = conn;
     }
-
-    if (locName1 != nodeName1) freeMagic(locName1);
-    if (locName2 != nodeName2) freeMagic(locName2);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/extflat/EFname.c b/extflat/EFname.c
index cdb931fe..60365cdd 100644
--- a/extflat/EFname.c
+++ b/extflat/EFname.c
@@ -225,8 +225,7 @@ EFStrToHN(prefix, suffixStr)
 
     /*
      * Convert the relative name into a HierName path, with one HierName
-     * created for each slash-separated segment of suffixStr.  Backslash-
-     * escaped slashes are not part of a path and are ignored.
+     * created for each slash-separated segment of suffixStr.
      */
     cp = slashPtr = suffixStr;
     for (;;)
@@ -243,7 +242,6 @@ EFStrToHN(prefix, suffixStr)
 	    slashPtr = cp;
 	    prefix = hierName;
 	}
-	else if ((*cp == '\\') && (*(cp + 1) == '/')) cp += 2;
 	else cp++;
     }