diff --git a/src/sp_lev.c b/src/sp_lev.c
index 4f8df6b9c..1d6b0cd3a 100644
--- a/src/sp_lev.c
+++ b/src/sp_lev.c
@@ -3827,7 +3827,7 @@ selection_do_grow(ov, dir)
 struct opvar *ov;
 int dir;
 {
-    int x, y, c;
+    int x, y;
     char tmp[COLNO][ROWNO];
 
     if (ov->spovartyp != SPOVAR_SEL)
@@ -3835,40 +3835,31 @@ int dir;
     if (!ov)
         return;
 
-    (void) memset(tmp, 0, sizeof(tmp));
+    (void) memset(tmp, 0, sizeof tmp);
 
-    for (x = 0; x < COLNO; x++)
+    for (x = 1; x < COLNO; x++)
         for (y = 0; y < ROWNO; y++) {
-            c = 0;
-            if ((dir & W_WEST) && (x > 0)
-                && (selection_getpoint(x - 1, y, ov)))
-                c++;
-            if ((dir & (W_WEST | W_NORTH)) && (x > 0) && (y > 0)
-                && (selection_getpoint(x - 1, y - 1, ov)))
-                c++;
-            if ((dir & W_NORTH) && (y > 0)
-                && (selection_getpoint(x, y - 1, ov)))
-                c++;
-            if ((dir & (W_NORTH | W_EAST)) && (y > 0) && (x < COLNO - 1)
-                && (selection_getpoint(x + 1, y - 1, ov)))
-                c++;
-            if ((dir & W_EAST) && (x < COLNO - 1)
-                && (selection_getpoint(x + 1, y, ov)))
-                c++;
-            if ((dir & (W_EAST | W_SOUTH)) && (x < COLNO - 1)
-                && (y < ROWNO - 1) && (selection_getpoint(x + 1, y + 1, ov)))
-                c++;
-            if ((dir & W_SOUTH) && (y < ROWNO - 1)
-                && (selection_getpoint(x, y + 1, ov)))
-                c++;
-            if ((dir & (W_SOUTH | W_WEST)) && (y < ROWNO - 1) && (x > 0)
-                && (selection_getpoint(x - 1, y + 1, ov)))
-                c++;
-            if (c)
+            /* note:  dir is a mask of multiple directions, but the only
+               way to specify diagonals is by including the two adjacent
+               orthogonal directions, which effectively specifies three-
+               way growth [WEST|NORTH => WEST plus WEST|NORTH plus NORTH] */
+            if (((dir & W_WEST) && selection_getpoint(x + 1, y, ov))
+                || (((dir & (W_WEST | W_NORTH)) == (W_WEST | W_NORTH))
+                    && selection_getpoint(x + 1, y + 1, ov))
+                || ((dir & W_NORTH) && selection_getpoint(x, y + 1, ov))
+                || (((dir & (W_NORTH | W_EAST)) == (W_NORTH | W_EAST))
+                    && selection_getpoint(x - 1, y + 1, ov))
+                || ((dir & W_EAST) && selection_getpoint(x - 1, y, ov))
+                || (((dir & (W_EAST | W_SOUTH)) == (W_EAST | W_SOUTH))
+                    && selection_getpoint(x - 1, y - 1, ov))
+                || ((dir & W_SOUTH) && selection_getpoint(x, y - 1, ov))
+                ||  (((dir & (W_SOUTH | W_WEST)) == (W_SOUTH | W_WEST))
+                     && selection_getpoint(x + 1, y - 1, ov))) {
                 tmp[x][y] = 1;
+            }
         }
 
-    for (x = 0; x < COLNO; x++)
+    for (x = 1; x < COLNO; x++)
         for (y = 0; y < ROWNO; y++)
             if (tmp[x][y])
                 selection_setpoint(x, y, ov, 1);