diff --git a/include/libbb.h b/include/libbb.h
index 32bb3113d..1859a3f09 100644
--- a/include/libbb.h
+++ b/include/libbb.h
@@ -512,6 +512,7 @@ int wait_nohang(int *wstat);
 /* wait4pid(spawn(argv)) + NOFORK/NOEXEC (if configured) */
 int spawn_and_wait(char **argv);
 struct nofork_save_area {
+	jmp_buf die_jmp;
 	const struct bb_applet *current_applet;
 	int xfunc_error_retval;
 	uint32_t option_mask32;
diff --git a/libbb/error_msg_and_die.c b/libbb/error_msg_and_die.c
index 20d971591..0e99a03cf 100644
--- a/libbb/error_msg_and_die.c
+++ b/libbb/error_msg_and_die.c
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ void xfunc_die(void)
 			 * p = xmalloc(10);
 			 * q = xmalloc(10); // BUG! if this dies, we leak p!
 			 */
-			/* -111 means "zero" (longjmp can't pass 0)
-			 * spawn_and_wait() catches -111. */
-			longjmp(die_jmp, xfunc_error_retval ? xfunc_error_retval : -111);
+			/* -2222 means "zero" (longjmp can't pass 0)
+			 * run_nofork_applet() catches -2222. */
+			longjmp(die_jmp, xfunc_error_retval ? xfunc_error_retval : -2222);
 		}
 		sleep(die_sleep);
 	}
diff --git a/libbb/vfork_daemon_rexec.c b/libbb/vfork_daemon_rexec.c
index a2572b0a9..349628796 100644
--- a/libbb/vfork_daemon_rexec.c
+++ b/libbb/vfork_daemon_rexec.c
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ int wait_pid(int *wstat, int pid)
 #if ENABLE_FEATURE_PREFER_APPLETS
 void save_nofork_data(struct nofork_save_area *save)
 {
+	memcpy(&save->die_jmp, &die_jmp, sizeof(die_jmp));
 	save->current_applet = current_applet;
 	save->xfunc_error_retval = xfunc_error_retval;
 	save->option_mask32 = option_mask32;
@@ -112,6 +113,7 @@ void save_nofork_data(struct nofork_save_area *save)
 
 void restore_nofork_data(struct nofork_save_area *save)
 {
+	memcpy(&die_jmp, &save->die_jmp, sizeof(die_jmp));
 	current_applet = save->current_applet;
 	xfunc_error_retval = save->xfunc_error_retval;
 	option_mask32 = save->option_mask32;
@@ -147,7 +149,7 @@ int run_nofork_applet_prime(struct nofork_save_area *old, const struct bb_applet
 		rc = a->main(argc, tmp_argv);
 	} else { /* xfunc died in NOFORK applet */
 		/* in case they meant to return 0... */
-		if (rc == -111)
+		if (rc == -2222)
 			rc = 0;
 	}
 
@@ -159,6 +161,7 @@ int run_nofork_applet_prime(struct nofork_save_area *old, const struct bb_applet
 int run_nofork_applet(const struct bb_applet *a, char **argv)
 {
 	struct nofork_save_area old;
+
 	/* Saving globals */
 	save_nofork_data(&old);
 	return run_nofork_applet_prime(&old, a, argv);
diff --git a/shell/hush.c b/shell/hush.c
index 579950ff9..1ff7b0df6 100644
--- a/shell/hush.c
+++ b/shell/hush.c
@@ -427,13 +427,15 @@ enum { run_list_level = 0 };
 /* Normal */
 static void syntax(const char *msg)
 {
-	bb_error_msg(msg ? "%s: %s" : "syntax error", "syntax error", msg);
+	(interactive_fd ? bb_error_msg : bb_error_msg_and_die)
+		(msg ? "%s: %s" : "syntax error", "syntax error", msg);
 }
 #else
 /* Debug */
 static void syntax_lineno(int line)
 {
-	bb_error_msg("syntax error hush.c:%d", line);
+	(interactive_fd ? bb_error_msg : bb_error_msg_and_die)
+		("syntax error hush.c:%d", line);
 }
 #define syntax(str) syntax_lineno(__LINE__)
 #endif
@@ -3309,13 +3311,13 @@ static int handle_dollar(o_string *dest, struct p_context *ctx, struct in_str *i
 			/* XXX maybe someone will try to escape the '}' */
 			while (1) {
 				ch = b_getch(input);
-				if (ch == EOF) {
+				if (ch == '}')
+					break;
+				if (!isalnum(ch) && ch != '_') {
 					syntax("unterminated ${name}");
 					debug_printf_parse("handle_dollar return 1: unterminated ${name}\n");
 					return 1;
 				}
-				if (ch == '}')
-					break;
 				debug_printf_parse(": '%c'\n", ch);
 				b_addchr(dest, ch | quote_mask);
 				quote_mask = 0;