diff --git a/src/frontend/dotcards.c b/src/frontend/dotcards.c
index 2e3fd5ad2..29b3eea01 100644
--- a/src/frontend/dotcards.c
+++ b/src/frontend/dotcards.c
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ void
 ft_dotsaves(void)
 {
     wordlist *iline, *wl = NULL;
-    char *s, *fr;
+    char *s;
 
     if (!ft_curckt) /* Shouldn't happen. */
         return;
@@ -66,8 +66,7 @@ ft_dotsaves(void)
         if (ciprefix(".save", iline->wl_word)) {
             s = iline->wl_word;
             /* skip .save */
-            fr = gettok(&s);
-            tfree(fr);
+            gettok_nc(&s);
             wl = wl_append(wl, gettoks(s));
         }
 
@@ -112,7 +111,7 @@ ft_savedotargs(void)
             isaplot = 0;
 
         if (isaplot || ciprefix(".print", s)) {
-            (void) gettok(&s);
+            gettok_nc(&s);
             name = gettok(&s);
 
             if ((w = gettoks(s)) == NULL) {
@@ -138,8 +137,8 @@ ft_savedotargs(void)
                 com_save2(w, name);
             }
         } else if (ciprefix(".four", s)) {
-            (void) gettok(&s);
-            (void) gettok(&s);
+            gettok_nc(&s);
+            gettok_nc(&s);
             if ((w = gettoks(s)) == NULL) {
                 fprintf(cp_err, "Warning: no nodes given: %s\n", iline->wl_word);
             } else {
diff --git a/src/frontend/inp.c b/src/frontend/inp.c
index 320ecec21..a4df90136 100644
--- a/src/frontend/inp.c
+++ b/src/frontend/inp.c
@@ -1456,8 +1456,7 @@ inp_parse_temper(struct line *card)
         if (prefix(".model", curr_line)) {
             struct pt_temper *modtlistnew = NULL;
             /* remove '.model' */
-            str_ptr = gettok(&curr_line);
-            tfree(str_ptr);
+            gettok_nc(&curr_line);
             devmodname = gettok(&curr_line);
             beg_tstr = curr_line;
             while ((end_tstr = beg_tstr = strstr(beg_tstr, "temper")) != NULL) {
diff --git a/src/frontend/inpcom.c b/src/frontend/inpcom.c
index 349ddcf82..4575de5e9 100644
--- a/src/frontend/inpcom.c
+++ b/src/frontend/inpcom.c
@@ -5295,14 +5295,14 @@ replace_token(char *string, char *token, int wherereplace, int total)
 
     /* get total number of tokens */
     while (*actstring) {
-        txfree(gettok(&actstring));
+        gettok_nc(&actstring);
         count++;
     }
     /* If total number of tokens correct */
     if (count == total) {
         actstring = string;
         for (i = 1; i < wherereplace; i++)
-            txfree(gettok(&actstring));
+            gettok_nc(&actstring);
         /* If token to be replaced at right position */
         if (ciprefix(token, actstring)) {
             actstring[0] = ' ';
@@ -5776,9 +5776,9 @@ inp_poly_err(struct line *card)
         if ((ciprefix("e", curr_line)) || (ciprefix("g", curr_line)) ||
             (ciprefix("f", curr_line)) || (ciprefix("h", curr_line)))
         {
-            txfree(gettok(&curr_line));
-            txfree(gettok(&curr_line));
-            txfree(gettok(&curr_line));
+            gettok_nc(&curr_line);
+            gettok_nc(&curr_line);
+            gettok_nc(&curr_line);
             if (ciprefix("poly", curr_line)) {
                 fprintf(stderr,
                         "\nError: XSPICE is required to run the 'poly' option in line %d\n",
@@ -6037,7 +6037,7 @@ inp_fix_temper_in_param(struct line *deck)
             /* if we have inserted into a .param line, convert to .func */
             if (prefix(".param", new_str)) {
                 char *new_tmp_str = new_str;
-                txfree(gettok(&new_tmp_str));
+                gettok_nc(&new_tmp_str);
                 funcname = gettok_char(&new_tmp_str, '=', FALSE, FALSE);
                 funcbody = copy(new_tmp_str + 1);
                 *funcs_tail_ptr =
diff --git a/src/frontend/measure.c b/src/frontend/measure.c
index 3567cecb9..5b7d99416 100644
--- a/src/frontend/measure.c
+++ b/src/frontend/measure.c
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ do_measure(
     for (meas_card = ft_curckt->ci_meas; meas_card != NULL; meas_card = meas_card->li_next) {
         line = meas_card->li_line;
 
-        txfree(gettok(&line)); /* discard .meas */
+        gettok_nc(&line); /* discard .meas */
 
         an_type = gettok(&line);
         resname = gettok(&line);
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ do_measure(
     for (meas_card = ft_curckt->ci_meas; meas_card != NULL; meas_card = meas_card->li_next) {
         line = meas_card->li_line;
 
-        txfree(gettok(&line)); /* discard .meas */
+        gettok_nc(&line); /* discard .meas */
 
         an_type = gettok(&line);
         resname = gettok(&line);
@@ -466,7 +466,7 @@ measure_parse_line(char *line)
     char *extra_item;                   /* extra item */
 
     wl = NULL;
-    txfree(gettok(&line));
+    gettok_nc(&line);
     do {
         item = gettok(&line);
         if (!(item))
diff --git a/src/frontend/options.c b/src/frontend/options.c
index 7fea1a7a7..a9e831fa3 100644
--- a/src/frontend/options.c
+++ b/src/frontend/options.c
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ inp_getoptsc(char *in_line, struct line *com_options)
 
     /* option -> .options */
     /* skip option */
-    gettok(&in_line);
+    gettok_nc(&in_line);
     line = tprintf(".options %s", in_line);
 
     next = TMALLOC(struct line, 1);
diff --git a/src/frontend/rawfile.c b/src/frontend/rawfile.c
index 312ab1dd4..2394e8153 100644
--- a/src/frontend/rawfile.c
+++ b/src/frontend/rawfile.c
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ raw_read(char *name) {
                     (void) fgets(buf, BSIZE_SP, fp);
                     s = buf;
                 }
-                (void) gettok(&s);  /* The strchr field. */
+                gettok_nc(&s);  /* The strchr field. */
                 if ((t = gettok(&s)) != NULL) {
                     v->v_name = t;
                 } else {
diff --git a/src/frontend/subckt.c b/src/frontend/subckt.c
index 75129c648..bc74035ae 100644
--- a/src/frontend/subckt.c
+++ b/src/frontend/subckt.c
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ collect_global_nodes(struct line *c)
     for (; c; c = c->li_next)
         if (ciprefix(".global", c->li_line)) {
             char *s = c->li_line;
-            txfree(gettok(&s));
+            gettok_nc(&s);
             while (*s) {
                 char *t = skip_non_ws(s);
                 global_nodes[num_global_nodes++] = copy_substring(s, t);
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ inp_subcktexpand(struct line *deck) {
 
             if (ciprefix(model, c->li_line)) {
                 char *s = c->li_line;
-                txfree(gettok(&s)); /* discard the model keyword */
+                gettok_nc(&s); /* discard the model keyword */
                 modnames = wl_cons(gettok(&s), modnames);
             } /* model name finding routine */
         }
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ doit(struct line *deck, wordlist *modnames) {
 
                     sss = TMALLOC(struct subs, 1);
 
-                    txfree(gettok(&s));
+                    gettok_nc(&s);
 
                     sss->su_name = gettok(&s);
                     sss->su_args = copy(s);
@@ -615,7 +615,7 @@ doit(struct line *deck, wordlist *modnames) {
                     /* prepend the translated model names to the list `modnames' */
                     modnames = modtranslate(su_deck, scname, modnames);
 
-                    txfree(gettok(&t));  /* Throw out the subcircuit refdes */
+                    gettok_nc(&t);  /* Throw out the subcircuit refdes */
 
                     /* now invoke translate, which handles the remainder of the
                      * translation.
@@ -1516,7 +1516,7 @@ numnodes(char *name, struct subs *subs, wordlist const *modnames)
         i = 0;
         s = buf;
         gotit = 0;
-        txfree(gettok(&s));          /* Skip component name */
+        gettok_nc(&s);          /* Skip component name */
         while ((i < n) && (*s) && !gotit) {
             t = gettok_node(&s);       /* get nodenames . . .  */
             for (wl = modnames; wl; wl = wl->wl_next)
@@ -1543,7 +1543,7 @@ numnodes(char *name, struct subs *subs, wordlist const *modnames)
         return (n);
 
     for (s = buf, i = 0; *s && (i < 4); i++)
-        txfree(gettok(&s));
+        gettok_nc(&s);
 
     if (i == 3)
         return (3);
@@ -1622,7 +1622,7 @@ modtranslate(struct line *c, char *subname, wordlist *new_modnames)
 #endif
 
             /* swallow ".model" */
-            txfree(gettok(&t));
+            gettok_nc(&t);
 
             model_name = gettok(&t);
 
diff --git a/src/include/ngspice/ngspice.h b/src/include/ngspice/ngspice.h
index 086b214cf..bcbf32377 100644
--- a/src/include/ngspice/ngspice.h
+++ b/src/include/ngspice/ngspice.h
@@ -241,6 +241,7 @@ extern double x_atanh(double);
 extern char *gettok_noparens(char **s);
 extern char *gettok_node(char **s);
 extern char *gettok_iv(char **s);
+extern int gettok_nc(char **s);
 extern int get_l_paren(char **s);
 extern int get_r_paren(char **s);
 
diff --git a/src/misc/string.c b/src/misc/string.c
index 3ea96097b..9c872bf70 100644
--- a/src/misc/string.c
+++ b/src/misc/string.c
@@ -306,6 +306,40 @@ gettok(char **s)
     return ( token ) ;
 }
 
+
+/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*
+* gettok_nc skips over whitespaces and the next token in s, but does not
+* use TMALLOC or not return anything * but 1 for empty s and 0 if o.k. .
+* It replaces constructs like txfree(gettok(&actstring)) by
+* gettok_nc(&actstring). This is derived from the original gettok version.
+* It does not "do the right thing" when
+* you have parens or commas anywhere in the nodelist.
+*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+int
+gettok_nc(char **s)
+{
+    char c;
+    int paren;
+
+    paren = 0;
+    *s = skip_ws(*s);
+    if (!**s)
+        return (1);
+    while ((c = **s) != '\0' && !isspace_c(c)) {
+        if (c == '(')
+            paren += 1;
+        else if (c == ')')
+            paren -= 1;
+        else if (c == ',' && paren < 1)
+            break;
+        (*s)++;
+    }
+    while (isspace_c(**s) || **s == ',')
+        (*s)++;
+    return (0);
+}
+
+
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------------*
  * gettok skips over whitespaces or '=' and returns the next token found, 
  * if the token is something like i(xxx), v(yyy), or v(xxx,yyy)