--- toke.c.orig 2005-10-18 19:47:57.000000000 +0100
+++ toke.c      2005-10-18 20:16:52.000000000 +0100
@@ -3167,11 +3167,11 @@
 
     case '*':
        if (PL_expect != XOPERATOR) {
-           s = scan_ident(s, PL_bufend, PL_tokenbuf, sizeof PL_tokenbuf, TRUE);
-           PL_expect = XOPERATOR;
-           force_ident(PL_tokenbuf, '*');
-           if (!*PL_tokenbuf)
+           PL_tokenbuf[0] = '*';
+           s = scan_ident(s, PL_bufend, PL_tokenbuf + 1, sizeof PL_tokenbuf - 1, TRUE);
+           if (!PL_tokenbuf[1])
                PREREF('*');
+           PL_pending_ident = '*';
            TERM('*');
        }
        s++;