diff --git a/plugins/dice.py b/plugins/dice.py
index 13bb040..d4f6523 100644
--- a/plugins/dice.py
+++ b/plugins/dice.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ def nrolls(count, n):
 def dice(inp):
     ".dice <diceroll> -- simulates dicerolls, e.g. .dice 2d20-d5+4 roll 2 " \
         "D20s, subtract 1D5, add 4"
-    if not inp.strip():
+    if not inp:
         return dice.__doc__
 
     spec = whitespace_re.sub('', inp)
diff --git a/plugins/down.py b/plugins/down.py
index a6247d7..4842242 100644
--- a/plugins/down.py
+++ b/plugins/down.py
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ from util import hook
 @hook.command
 def down(inp):
     '''.down <url> -- checks to see if the site is down'''
-    inp = inp.strip()
 
     if not inp:
         return down.__doc__
diff --git a/plugins/explain.py b/plugins/explain.py
index ba24501..33b78a1 100755
--- a/plugins/explain.py
+++ b/plugins/explain.py
@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ def explain(inp):
     inp = inp.encode('utf8', 'ignore')
 
     try:    
-        return explain_c_declaration(inp.rstrip())
+        return explain_c_declaration(inp)
     except Exception, e:
         return 'error: %s' % e
diff --git a/plugins/help.py b/plugins/help.py
index af73ce1..af55d2d 100644
--- a/plugins/help.py
+++ b/plugins/help.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ def help(bot, input):
             if func.__doc__ is not None:
                 funcs[csig[1]] = func
 
-    if not input.inp.strip():
+    if not input.inp:
         input.pm('available commands: ' + ' '.join(sorted(funcs)))
     else:
         if input.inp in funcs:
diff --git a/plugins/pyexec.py b/plugins/pyexec.py
index f6e3e78..3887779 100644
--- a/plugins/pyexec.py
+++ b/plugins/pyexec.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ def py(inp):
         return py.__doc__
 
     res = urllib.urlopen("http://eval.appspot.com/eval?statement=%s" %
-                          urllib.quote(inp.strip(), safe='')).readlines()
+                          urllib.quote(inp, safe='')).readlines()
     if len(res) == 0:
         return
     res[0] = re_lineends.split(res[0])[0]
diff --git a/plugins/remember.py b/plugins/remember.py
index 4d2904e..e15e22b 100644
--- a/plugins/remember.py
+++ b/plugins/remember.py
@@ -46,14 +46,13 @@ def remember(bot, input):
         except ValueError:
             return remember.__doc__
 
-        tail = tail.strip()
         low = head.lower()
         if low not in memory[filename]:
             input.reply("done.")
         else:
             input.reply('forgetting that "%s", remembering this instead.' %
                     memory[filename][low])
-        memory[filename][low] = input.inp.strip()
+        memory[filename][low] = input.inp
         save_memory(filename, memory[filename])
 
 
@@ -64,10 +63,10 @@ def forget(bot, input):
         filename = make_filename(bot.persist_dir, input.chan)
         memory.setdefault(filename, load_memory(filename))
 
-        if not input.inp.strip():
+        if not input.inp:
             return forget.__doc__
 
-        low = input.inp.strip().lower()
+        low = input.inp.lower()
         if low not in memory[filename]:
             return "I don't know about that."
         if not hasattr(input, 'chan'):
diff --git a/plugins/seen.py b/plugins/seen.py
index 64308f5..72b29ef 100644
--- a/plugins/seen.py
+++ b/plugins/seen.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ def seen(bot, input):
     if len(input.msg) < 6:
         return seen.__doc__
 
-    query = input.inp.strip()
+    query = input.inp
 
     if query.lower() == input.nick.lower():
         return "Have you looked in a mirror lately?"
diff --git a/plugins/sieve.py b/plugins/sieve.py
index bb3fde3..197a040 100644
--- a/plugins/sieve.py
+++ b/plugins/sieve.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ def sieve_suite(bot, input, func, args):
     if input.re is None:
         return None
 
-    input.inp = ' '.join(input.re.groups())
+    input.inp_unstripped = ' '.join(input.re.groups())
+    input.inp = input.inp_unstripped.strip()
 
     return input
diff --git a/plugins/suggest.py b/plugins/suggest.py
index 55cbf12..c92c821 100644
--- a/plugins/suggest.py
+++ b/plugins/suggest.py
@@ -7,11 +7,12 @@ import json
 from util import hook
 
 @hook.command
-def suggest(inp):
+def suggest(bot, input):
     ".suggest [#n] <phrase> -- gets a random/the nth suggested google search"
-    if not inp.strip():
+    if not input.inp:
         return suggest.__doc__
  
+    inp = input.inp_unstripped
     m = re.match('^#(\d+) (.+)$', inp)
     if m:
         num, inp = m.groups()
diff --git a/plugins/tell.py b/plugins/tell.py
index bdfc9ec..b2f1237 100644
--- a/plugins/tell.py
+++ b/plugins/tell.py
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def tell(bot, input):
     if len(input.msg) < 6:
         return tell.__doc__
 
-    query = input.msg[6:].strip().partition(" ")
+    query = input.inp.partition(" ")
 
     if query[0] == input.nick:
         return "No."
diff --git a/plugins/twitter.py b/plugins/twitter.py
index 245360f..239fc0f 100644
--- a/plugins/twitter.py
+++ b/plugins/twitter.py
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ def twitter(inp):
     ".twitter <user>/<user> <n>/<id>/#<hashtag>/@<user> -- gets last/<n>th tweet from"\
     "<user>/gets tweet <id>/gets random tweet with #<hashtag>/gets replied tweet from @<user>"
 
-    inp = inp.strip()
     if not inp:
         return twitter.__doc__
 
diff --git a/plugins/urbandictionary.py b/plugins/urbandictionary.py
index 2327df6..7021a49 100644
--- a/plugins/urbandictionary.py
+++ b/plugins/urbandictionary.py
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ from util import hook
 @hook.command
 def urban(inp):
     '''.u/.urban <phrase> -- looks up <phrase> on urbandictionary.com'''
-    if not inp.strip():
+    if not inp:
         return urban.__doc__
 
     url = 'http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=' + \
-            urllib.quote(inp.strip(), safe='')
+            urllib.quote(inp, safe='')
     page = html.parse(url)
     words = page.xpath("//td[@class='word']")
     defs = page.xpath("//div[@class='definition']")
diff --git a/plugins/weather.py b/plugins/weather.py
index 9556b9f..9068b8e 100644
--- a/plugins/weather.py
+++ b/plugins/weather.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ def weather(bot, input):
             stalk = load_stalk(filename)
 
     nick = input.nick.lower()
-    loc = input.inp.strip()
+    loc = input.inp
     dontsave = loc.endswith(" dontsave")
     if dontsave:
         loc = loc[:-9].strip().lower()
diff --git a/plugins/wikipedia.py b/plugins/wikipedia.py
index 8c560ec..93eaa87 100644
--- a/plugins/wikipedia.py
+++ b/plugins/wikipedia.py
@@ -16,14 +16,14 @@ paren_re = re.compile('\s*\(.*\)$')
 
 @hook.command(hook='w(\s+.*|$)')
 @hook.command
-def wiki(query):
+def wiki(inp):
     '''.w/.wiki <phrase> -- gets first sentence of wikipedia ''' \
     '''article on <phrase>'''
 
-    if not query.strip():
+    if not inp:
         return wiki.__doc__
 
-    q = search_url % (urllib.quote(query.strip(), safe=''))
+    q = search_url % (urllib.quote(inp, safe=''))
     x = etree.parse(q)
 
     ns = '{http://opensearch.org/searchsuggest2}'