diff --git a/src/frontend/com_let.c b/src/frontend/com_let.c
index caa9df120..5ef19204b 100644
--- a/src/frontend/com_let.c
+++ b/src/frontend/com_let.c
@@ -112,8 +112,7 @@ com_let(wordlist *wl)
                 vec_free(t);
             free_pnode(names); /* frees also t, if pnode `names' is simple value */
 
-            s = q;
-            s = skip_ws(s);
+            s = skip_ws(q);
         }
     }
     /* vector name at p */
diff --git a/src/frontend/dimens.c b/src/frontend/dimens.c
index e5e854d85..ad96b535d 100644
--- a/src/frontend/dimens.c
+++ b/src/frontend/dimens.c
@@ -136,8 +136,7 @@ atodims(char *p, int *data, int *outlength)
     p = skip_ws(p);
 
     if (*p == '[') {
-        p++;
-        p = skip_ws(p);
+        p = skip_ws(p + 1);
         needbracket = 1;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/frontend/help/textdisp.c b/src/frontend/help/textdisp.c
index 3db5835cd..a7b763a0a 100644
--- a/src/frontend/help/textdisp.c
+++ b/src/frontend/help/textdisp.c
@@ -73,8 +73,7 @@ hlp_thandle(topic **parent)
             return (NULL);
         }
 
-        s = buf;
-        s = skip_ws(s);
+        s = skip_ws(buf);
         switch (*s) {
         case '?':
             fprintf(cp_out,
diff --git a/src/frontend/inp.c b/src/frontend/inp.c
index 8f99bee52..8bad1a3b1 100644
--- a/src/frontend/inp.c
+++ b/src/frontend/inp.c
@@ -395,16 +395,14 @@ inp_spsource(FILE *fp, bool comfile, char *filename, bool intfile)
         for (dd = deck->li_next; dd; dd = ld->li_next) {
             /* get temp from deck */
             if (ciprefix(".temp", dd->li_line)) {
-                s = dd->li_line + 5;
-                s = skip_ws(s);
+                s = skip_ws(dd->li_line + 5);
                 if (temperature)
                     txfree(temperature);
                 temperature = strdup(s);
             }
             /* Ignore comment lines, but not lines begining with '*#',
                but remove them, if they are in a .control ... .endc section */
-            s = dd->li_line;
-            s = skip_ws(s);
+            s = skip_ws(dd->li_line);
             if ((*s == '*') && ((s != dd->li_line) || (s[1] != '#'))) {
                 if (commands) {
                     /* Remove comment lines in control sections, so they  don't
@@ -419,10 +417,8 @@ inp_spsource(FILE *fp, bool comfile, char *filename, bool intfile)
 
             /* Put the first token from line into s */
             strncpy(name, dd->li_line, BSIZE_SP);
-            s = name;
-            s = skip_ws(s);
-            t = s;
-            t = skip_non_ws(t);
+            s = skip_ws(name);
+            t = skip_non_ws(s);
             *t = '\0';
 
             if (ciprefix(".control", dd->li_line)) {
@@ -563,10 +559,8 @@ inp_spsource(FILE *fp, bool comfile, char *filename, bool intfile)
                     wordlist *wlist = NULL;
                     char *cstoken[3];
                     int i;
-                    s = dd->li_line;
-                    *s = '*';
-                    s = dd->li_line + 8;
-                    s = skip_ws(s);
+                    dd->li_line[0] = '*';
+                    s = skip_ws(dd->li_line + 8);
                     cstoken[0] = gettok_char(&s, '=', FALSE, FALSE);
                     cstoken[1] = gettok_char(&s, '=', TRUE, FALSE);
                     cstoken[2] = gettok(&s);
@@ -805,8 +799,7 @@ inp_dodeck(
     if (!noparse) {
         struct line *opt_beg = options;
         for (; options; options = options->li_next) {
-            s = options->li_line;
-            s = skip_non_ws(s);
+            s = skip_non_ws(options->li_line);
 
             ii = cp_interactive;
             cp_interactive = FALSE;
@@ -986,8 +979,7 @@ inp_dodeck(
     if (!noparse) {
         /*
          * for (; options; options = options->li_next) {
-         *     s = options->li_line;
-         *     s = skip_non_ws(s);
+         *     s = skip_non_ws(options->li_line);
          *     ii = cp_interactive;
          *     cp_interactive = FALSE;
          *     wl = cp_lexer(s);
diff --git a/src/frontend/numparam/spicenum.c b/src/frontend/numparam/spicenum.c
index 3c2f94da7..ae73e85d7 100644
--- a/src/frontend/numparam/spicenum.c
+++ b/src/frontend/numparam/spicenum.c
@@ -831,8 +831,7 @@ nupa_eval(char *s, int linenum, int orig_linenum)
         err = nupa_substitute(dicoS, dicoS->dynrefptr[linenum], s, 0);
     } else if (c == 'X') {
         /* compute args of subcircuit, if required */
-        ptr = s;
-        ptr = skip_non_ws(ptr);
+        ptr = skip_non_ws(s);
         keep = *ptr;
         *ptr = '\0';
         nupa_inst_name = strdup(s);
diff --git a/src/frontend/nutinp.c b/src/frontend/nutinp.c
index 6100e1355..7e37b5384 100644
--- a/src/frontend/nutinp.c
+++ b/src/frontend/nutinp.c
@@ -94,10 +94,8 @@ inp_nutsource(FILE *fp, bool comfile, char *filename)
                 continue;
             }
             (void) strncpy(name, dd->li_line, BSIZE_SP);
-            s = name;
-            s = skip_ws(s);
-            t = s;
-            t = skip_non_ws(t);
+            s = skip_ws(name);
+            t = skip_non_ws(s);
             *t = '\0';
 
             if (ciprefix(".control", dd->li_line)) {
diff --git a/src/frontend/subckt.c b/src/frontend/subckt.c
index 52672caa1..9d03a83f8 100644
--- a/src/frontend/subckt.c
+++ b/src/frontend/subckt.c
@@ -152,10 +152,9 @@ collect_global_nodes(struct line *c)
             char *s = c->li_line;
             txfree(gettok(&s));
             while (*s) {
-                char *t = s;
-                s = skip_non_ws(s);
-                global_nodes[num_global_nodes++] = copy_substring(t, s);
-                s = skip_ws(s);
+                char *t = skip_non_ws(s);
+                global_nodes[num_global_nodes++] = copy_substring(s, t);
+                s = skip_ws(t);
             }
             c->li_line[0] = '*'; /* comment it out */
         }
@@ -1309,8 +1308,7 @@ finishLine(struct bxx_buffer *t, char *src, char *scname)
             bxx_putc(t, *src++);
             continue;
         }
-        s = src + 1;
-        s = skip_ws(s);
+        s = skip_ws(src + 1);
         if (!*s || (*s != '(')) {
             lastwasalpha = isalpha_c(*src);
             bxx_putc(t, *src++);
diff --git a/src/frontend/vectors.c b/src/frontend/vectors.c
index 8ba9dc9ca..4069b065a 100644
--- a/src/frontend/vectors.c
+++ b/src/frontend/vectors.c
@@ -938,9 +938,7 @@ vec_basename(struct dvec *v)
     }
 
     strtolower(buf);
-    t = buf;
-    t = skip_ws(t);
-    s = t;
+    s = skip_ws(buf);
     for (t = s; *t; t++)
         ;
     while ((t > s) && isspace_c(t[-1]))
diff --git a/src/misc/string.c b/src/misc/string.c
index 4d839c904..c95a43413 100644
--- a/src/misc/string.c
+++ b/src/misc/string.c
@@ -663,8 +663,7 @@ get_comma_separated_values( char *values[], char *str ) {
     ptr++; keep = *ptr; *ptr = '\0';
     values[count++] = strdup(str);
     *ptr = keep;
-    str = comma_ptr + 1;
-    str = skip_ws(str);
+    str = skip_ws(comma_ptr + 1);
   }
   values[count++] = strdup(str);
   return count;
diff --git a/src/spicelib/parser/inp2r.c b/src/spicelib/parser/inp2r.c
index 3800fa077..4659f1f76 100644
--- a/src/spicelib/parser/inp2r.c
+++ b/src/spicelib/parser/inp2r.c
@@ -83,19 +83,13 @@ void INP2R(CKTcircuit *ckt, INPtables * tab, card * current)
         char *p;
         size_t left_length;
 
-        s += 2;
-
-        /* skip any white space */
-        s = skip_ws(s);
+        s = skip_ws(s + 2);
 
         /* reject if not '=' */
         if(*s != '=')
             continue;
 
-        s++;
-
-        /* skip any white space */
-        s = skip_ws(s);
+        s = skip_ws(s + 1);
 
         /* if we now have +, - or a decimal digit then assume we have a number,
            otherwise reject */