diff --git a/flags.c b/flags.c
index 5e6feb7..94b7827 100644
--- a/flags.c
+++ b/flags.c
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ static struct flagnames flagnames[] = {
     { MKD_NO_EXT,         "!EXT" },
     { MKD_CDATA,          "CDATA" },
     { MKD_NOSUPERSCRIPT,  "!SUPERSCRIPT" },
-    { MKD_NORELAXED,      "!RELAXED" },
+    { MKD_STRICT,         "STRICT" },
     { MKD_NOTABLES,       "!TABLES" },
     { MKD_NOSTRIKETHROUGH,"!STRIKETHROUGH" },
     { MKD_TOC,            "TOC" },
diff --git a/generate.c b/generate.c
index 6a43a1d..dfece86 100644
--- a/generate.c
+++ b/generate.c
@@ -1353,6 +1353,7 @@ text(MMIOT *f)
 		    break;
 	/* A^B -> A<sup>B</sup> */
 	case '^':   if ( is_flag_set(&f->flags, MKD_NOSUPERSCRIPT)
+			    || is_flag_set(&f->flags, MKD_STRICT)
 			    || is_flag_set(&f->flags, MKD_TAGTEXT)
 			    || (f->last == 0)
 			    || ((ispunct(f->last) || isspace(f->last))
@@ -1390,7 +1391,7 @@ text(MMIOT *f)
 		    break;
 	case '_':
 	/* Underscores don't count if they're in the middle of a word */
-		    if ( !is_flag_set(&f->flags, MKD_NORELAXED)
+		    if ( !is_flag_set(&f->flags, MKD_STRICT)
 				&& isthisalnum(f,-1) && isthisalnum(f,1) ) {
 			Qchar(c, f);
 			break;
@@ -1418,9 +1419,9 @@ text(MMIOT *f)
 #define ticktick(f,c) tickhandler(f,c,2,0,delspan)
 #endif
 
-	case '~':   if ( is_flag_set(f->flags, MKD_NOSTRIKETHROUGH)
-			 || is_flag_set(f->flags, MKD_STRICT)
-			 || is_flag_set(f->flags, MKD_TAGTEXT)
+	case '~':   if ( is_flag_set(&f->flags, MKD_NOSTRIKETHROUGH)
+			 || is_flag_set(&f->flags, MKD_STRICT)
+			 || is_flag_set(&f->flags, MKD_TAGTEXT)
 			 || !ticktick(f,c) )
 			Qchar(c, f);
 		    break;
diff --git a/markdown.h b/markdown.h
index 91a5047..95753a0 100644
--- a/markdown.h
+++ b/markdown.h
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ enum {  MKD_NOLINKS=0,		/* don't do link processing, block <a> tags  */
 	MKD_EXPLICITLIST,	/* don't combine numbered/bulletted lists */
 	MKD_CDATA,		/* generate code for xml ![CDATA[...]] */
 	MKD_NOSUPERSCRIPT,	/* no A^B */
-	MKD_NORELAXED,		/* emphasis happens /everywhere/ */
+	MKD_STRICT,		/* conform to Markdown.pl behavior */
 	MKD_NOTABLES,		/* disallow tables */
 	MKD_NOSTRIKETHROUGH,	/* forbid ~~strikethrough~~ */
 	MKD_1_COMPAT,		/* compatibility with MarkdownTest_1.0 */
diff --git a/pgm_options.c b/pgm_options.c
index b67cdbf..ec1b22b 100644
--- a/pgm_options.c
+++ b/pgm_options.c
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 #endif
 
 static void set_dlist(mkd_flag_t *flags, int enable);
-extern void ___mkd_strict_mode(mkd_flag_t *flags, int enable);
 
 static struct _special {
     char *name;
@@ -29,7 +28,6 @@ static struct _special {
 } special[] = { 
     { "definitionlist", set_dlist },
     { "dlist",          set_dlist },
-    { "standard",       ___mkd_strict_mode },
 };
 
 static struct _opt {
@@ -45,8 +43,9 @@ static struct _opt {
     { "tabstop",       "default (4-space) tabstops", 0, 0, 0, 1, MKD_TABSTOP  },
     { "image",         "images",                     0, 1, 0, 1, MKD_NOIMAGE  },
     { "links",         "links",                      0, 1, 0, 1, MKD_NOLINKS  },
-    { "strict",        "emphasis inside words",      0, 0, 0, 1, MKD_NORELAXED  },
-    { "relax",         "emphasis inside words",      0, 1, 1, 1, MKD_NORELAXED  },
+    { "strict",        "conform to the markdown standard",  0, 0, 0, 1, MKD_STRICT   },
+    { "relax",         "conform to the markdown standard",  0, 1, 1, 1, MKD_STRICT   },
+    { "standard",      "conform to the markdown standard", 0, 0, 1, 1, MKD_STRICT },
     { "tables",        "tables",                     0, 1, 0, 1, MKD_NOTABLES },
     { "header",        "pandoc-style headers",       0, 1, 0, 1, MKD_NOHEADER },
     { "html",          "allow raw html",             0, 1, 0, 0, MKD_NOHTML   },
@@ -79,7 +78,6 @@ static struct _opt {
     { "regular-listitem","github-style check items", 0, 0, 1, 1, MKD_NORMAL_LISTITEM } ,
     { "definitionlist","both discount & markdown extra definition lists", 1 },
     { "dlist",         "both discount & markdown extra definition lists", 1, 0, 1 },
-    { "standard",      "conform to the markdown standard", 1 },
 } ;
 
 #define NR(x)	(sizeof x / sizeof x[0])
diff --git a/v2compat.c b/v2compat.c
index 5ce0df0..9a6fa2b 100644
--- a/v2compat.c
+++ b/v2compat.c
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 #define MKD2_NO_EXT		0x00000040
 #define MKD2_CDATA		0x00000080
 #define MKD2_NOSUPERSCRIPT	0x00000100
-#define MKD2_NORELAXED		0x00000200
+#define MKD2_STRICT2   		0x00000200
 #define MKD2_NOTABLES		0x00000400
 #define MKD2_NOSTRIKETHROUGH	0x00000800
 #define MKD2_TOC		0x00001000
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
 #define MKD2_EXPLICITLIST	0x80000000
 
 
+#if 0
 void
 ___mkd_strict_mode(mkd_flag_t *flags, int enable)
 {
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ ___mkd_strict_mode(mkd_flag_t *flags, int enable)
 	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_NORMAL_LISTITEM);
 	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_NO_EXT);
 	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_NOSUPERSCRIPT);
-	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_NORELAXED);
+	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_STRICT);
 	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_NOTABLES);
 	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_NOSTRIKETHROUGH);
 	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_NOHEADER);
@@ -84,6 +85,7 @@ ___mkd_strict_mode(mkd_flag_t *flags, int enable)
 	set_mkd_flag(flags,   MKD_NOSTYLE);
     }
 }
+#endif
 
 
 /*
@@ -105,7 +107,7 @@ convert_v2flags(DWORD bitmask, mkd_flag_t *blob)
 	bit = 1L << i;
 
 	switch ( bitmask & bit ) {
-	case MKD2_STRICT:	___mkd_strict_mode(blob, 1);
+	case MKD2_STRICT:	set_mkd_flag(blob,MKD_STRICT);
 				break;
 	case MKD2_NOLINKS:	set_mkd_flag(blob,MKD_NOLINKS);
 				break;
@@ -123,7 +125,7 @@ convert_v2flags(DWORD bitmask, mkd_flag_t *blob)
 				break;
 	case MKD2_NOSUPERSCRIPT:set_mkd_flag(blob,MKD_NOSUPERSCRIPT);
 				break;
-	case MKD2_NORELAXED:	set_mkd_flag(blob,MKD_NORELAXED);
+	case MKD2_STRICT2:	set_mkd_flag(blob,MKD_STRICT);
 				break;
 	case MKD2_NOTABLES:	set_mkd_flag(blob,MKD_NOTABLES);
 				break;