diff --git a/shell/hush.c b/shell/hush.c
index 7d0416796..b5cf86132 100644
--- a/shell/hush.c
+++ b/shell/hush.c
@@ -5303,6 +5303,9 @@ static int handle_dollar(o_string *as_string,
 					all_digits = true;
 					goto char_ok;
 				}
+				/* They're being verbose and doing ${?} */
+				if (i_peek(input) == '}' && strchr("$!?#*@_", ch))
+					goto char_ok;
 			}
 
 			if (expansion < 2
diff --git a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/param_expand_indicate_error.right b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/param_expand_indicate_error.right
index ec4908c35..590bb2001 100644
--- a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/param_expand_indicate_error.right
+++ b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/param_expand_indicate_error.right
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 hush: syntax error: unterminated ${name}
-hush: syntax error: unterminated ${name}
 0
 0
 _
diff --git a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/param_expand_indicate_error.tests b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/param_expand_indicate_error.tests
index 1f94181a9..bccba3e1b 100755
--- a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/param_expand_indicate_error.tests
+++ b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/param_expand_indicate_error.tests
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # do all of these in subshells since it's supposed to error out
 
 # first try some invalid patterns
-"$THIS_SH" -c 'echo ${?}'
+#"$THIS_SH" -c 'echo ${?}' -- this is valid as it's the same as $?
 "$THIS_SH" -c 'echo ${:?}'
 
 # then some funky ones
diff --git a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var1.right b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var1.right
index 14b2314d9..194e7dbe2 100644
--- a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var1.right
+++ b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var1.right
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 http://busybox.net
 http://busybox.net_abc
-1
-1
+1 1
+1 1
diff --git a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var1.tests b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var1.tests
index 0a63696c9..48a6782ba 100755
--- a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var1.tests
+++ b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var1.tests
@@ -4,6 +4,6 @@ echo $URL
 echo ${URL}_abc
 
 true
-false; echo $?
+false; echo $? ${?}
 true
-{ false; echo $?; }
+{ false; echo $? ${?}; }
diff --git a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var3.right b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var3.right
index e772aaada..5e28d2fab 100644
--- a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var3.right
+++ b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var3.right
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
 hush: syntax error: unterminated ${name}
 hush: syntax error: unterminated ${name}
-hush: syntax error: unterminated ${name}
diff --git a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var3.tests b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var3.tests
index e09f43317..aea36d62d 100755
--- a/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var3.tests
+++ b/shell/hush_test/hush-vars/var3.tests
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 # reject invalid vars
 "$THIS_SH" -c 'echo ${1q}'
 "$THIS_SH" -c 'echo ${&}'
-"$THIS_SH" -c 'echo ${$}'
+#"$THIS_SH" -c 'echo ${$}' -- this is valid as it's the same as $$