diff --git a/include/extern.h b/include/extern.h
index 5bfae6080..ad7748bb5 100644
--- a/include/extern.h
+++ b/include/extern.h
@@ -835,6 +835,7 @@ E char *FDECL(lcase, (char *));
 E char *FDECL(ucase, (char *));
 E char *FDECL(upstart, (char *));
 E char *FDECL(mungspaces, (char *));
+E char *FDECL(strip_newline, (char *));
 E char *FDECL(eos, (char *));
 E boolean FDECL(str_end_is, (const char *, const char *));
 E char *FDECL(strkitten, (char *, CHAR_P));
diff --git a/src/files.c b/src/files.c
index 18481a5f4..a524af027 100644
--- a/src/files.c
+++ b/src/files.c
@@ -2563,7 +2563,7 @@ read_config_file(filename, src)
 const char *filename;
 int src;
 {
-    char buf[4 * BUFSZ], *p;
+    char buf[4 * BUFSZ];
     FILE *fp;
     boolean rv = TRUE; /* assume successful parse */
 
@@ -2581,13 +2581,7 @@ line at this level.
 OR: Forbid multiline stuff for alternate config sources.
 */
 #endif
-        if ((p = index(buf, '\n')) != 0) {
-            /* in case file has CR+LF format on non-CR+LF platform */
-            if (p > buf && *(p - 1) == '\r')
-                --p;
-            *p = '\0'; /* strip newline */
-        }
-        if (!parse_config_line(fp, buf, src)) {
+        if (!parse_config_line(fp, strip_newline(buf), src)) {
             static const char badoptionline[] = "Bad option line: \"%s\"";
 
             /* truncate buffer if it's long; this is actually conservative */
@@ -3505,7 +3499,6 @@ char *nowin_buf;
 unsigned oid; /* book identifier */
 {
     dlb *fp;
-    char *endp;
     char line[BUFSZ], lastline[BUFSZ];
 
     int scope = 0;
@@ -3556,18 +3549,14 @@ unsigned oid; /* book identifier */
     *line = *lastline = '\0';
     while (dlb_fgets(line, sizeof line, fp) != 0) {
         linect++;
-        if ((endp = index(line, '\n')) != 0)
-            *endp = 0;
+        (void) strip_newline(line);
         switch (line[0]) {
         case '%':
             if (!strncmpi(&line[1], "section ", sizeof("section ") - 1)) {
                 char *st = &line[9]; /* 9 from "%section " */
 
                 scope = SECTIONSCOPE;
-                if (!strcmpi(st, tribsection))
-                    matchedsection = TRUE;
-                else
-                    matchedsection = FALSE;
+                matchedsection = !strcmpi(st, tribsection) ? TRUE : FALSE;
             } else if (!strncmpi(&line[1], "title ", sizeof("title ") - 1)) {
                 char *st = &line[7]; /* 7 from "%title " */
                 char *p1, *p2;
diff --git a/src/hacklib.c b/src/hacklib.c
index a8ecfaea1..256ac5743 100644
--- a/src/hacklib.c
+++ b/src/hacklib.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
         char *          ucase           (char *)
         char *          upstart         (char *)
         char *          mungspaces      (char *)
+        char *          strip_newline   (char *)
         char *          eos             (char *)
         boolean         str_end_is      (const char *, const char *)
         char *          strkitten       (char *,char)
@@ -158,6 +159,21 @@ char *bp;
     return bp;
 }
 
+/* remove \n from end of line; remove \r too if one is there */
+char *
+strip_newline(str)
+char *str;
+{
+    char *p = index(str, '\n');
+
+    if (p) {
+        if (p > str && *(p - 1) == '\r')
+            --p;
+        *p = '\0';
+    }
+    return str;
+}
+
 /* return the end of a string (pointing at '\0') */
 char *
 eos(s)
diff --git a/src/pager.c b/src/pager.c
index 0a4fc87a7..0664bef5e 100644
--- a/src/pager.c
+++ b/src/pager.c
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ boolean user_typed_name, without_asking;
             } else if (!skipping_entry) {
                 if (!(ep = index(buf, '\n')))
                     goto bad_data_file;
-                *ep = 0;
+                (void) strip_newline((ep > buf) ? ep - 1 : ep);
                 /* if we match a key that begins with "~", skip this entry */
                 chk_skip = (*buf == '~') ? 1 : 0;
                 if (pmatch(&buf[chk_skip], dbase_str)
@@ -524,8 +524,7 @@ boolean user_typed_name, without_asking;
             for (i = 0; i < entry_count; i++) {
                 if (!dlb_fgets(buf, BUFSZ, fp))
                     goto bad_data_file;
-                if ((ep = index(buf, '\n')) != 0)
-                    *ep = 0;
+                (void) strip_newline(buf);
                 if (index(buf + 1, '\t') != 0)
                     (void) tabexpand(buf + 1);
                 putstr(datawin, 0, buf + 1);
@@ -1126,7 +1125,7 @@ char *cbuf;
 {
     dlb *fp;
     char bufr[BUFSZ];
-    register char *buf = &bufr[6], *ep, ctrl, meta;
+    register char *buf = &bufr[6], ctrl, meta;
 
     fp = dlb_fopen(CMDHELPFILE, "r");
     if (!fp) {
@@ -1140,9 +1139,7 @@ char *cbuf;
         if ((ctrl && *buf == '^' && *(buf + 1) == ctrl)
             || (meta && *buf == 'M' && *(buf + 1) == '-'
                 && *(buf + 2) == meta) || *buf == q) {
-            ep = index(buf, '\n');
-            if (ep)
-                *ep = 0;
+            (void) strip_newline(buf);
             if (ctrl && buf[2] == '\t') {
                 buf = bufr + 1;
                 (void) strncpy(buf, "^?      ", 8);
diff --git a/src/version.c b/src/version.c
index 97c8d0321..becefd8f7 100644
--- a/src/version.c
+++ b/src/version.c
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ int
 doextversion()
 {
     dlb *f;
-    char *cr, *pd, buf[BUFSZ];
+    char *pd, buf[BUFSZ];
     winid win = create_nhwindow(NHW_TEXT);
     boolean rtadded = FALSE;
 
@@ -94,10 +94,7 @@ doextversion()
         boolean prolog = TRUE; /* to skip indented program name */
 
         while (dlb_fgets(buf, BUFSZ, f)) {
-            if ((cr = index(buf, '\n')) != 0)
-                *cr = 0;
-            if ((cr = index(buf, '\r')) != 0)
-                *cr = 0;
+            (void) strip_newline(buf);
             if (index(buf, '\t') != 0)
                 (void) tabexpand(buf);