diff --git a/Documentation/Makefile b/Documentation/Makefile
index 06b0c57b95..cd5b4396db 100644
--- a/Documentation/Makefile
+++ b/Documentation/Makefile
@@ -103,6 +103,14 @@ ifdef DOCBOOK_SUPPRESS_SP
 XMLTO_EXTRA += -m manpage-suppress-sp.xsl
 endif
 
+# If your target system uses GNU groff, it may try to render
+# apostrophes as a "pretty" apostrophe using unicode.  This breaks
+# cut&paste, so you should set GNU_ROFF to force them to be ASCII
+# apostrophes.  Unfortunately does not work with non-GNU roff.
+ifdef GNU_ROFF
+XMLTO_EXTRA += -m manpage-quote-apos.xsl
+endif
+
 SHELL_PATH ?= $(SHELL)
 # Shell quote;
 SHELL_PATH_SQ = $(subst ','\'',$(SHELL_PATH))
diff --git a/Documentation/manpage-quote-apos.xsl b/Documentation/manpage-quote-apos.xsl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..aeb8839f33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/manpage-quote-apos.xsl
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
+		version="1.0">
+
+<!-- work around newer groff/man setups using a prettier apostrophe
+     that unfortunately does not quote anything when cut&pasting
+     examples to the shell -->
+<xsl:template name="escape.apostrophe">
+  <xsl:param name="content"/>
+  <xsl:call-template name="string.subst">
+    <xsl:with-param name="string" select="$content"/>
+    <xsl:with-param name="target">'</xsl:with-param>
+    <xsl:with-param name="replacement">\(aq</xsl:with-param>
+  </xsl:call-template>
+</xsl:template>
+
+</xsl:stylesheet>
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 268aede566..9c5d299f4d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -159,6 +159,10 @@ all::
 # Define ASCIIDOC_NO_ROFF if your DocBook XSL escapes raw roff directives
 # (versions 1.72 and later and 1.68.1 and earlier).
 #
+# Define GNU_ROFF if your target system uses GNU groff.  This forces
+# apostrophes to be ASCII so that cut&pasting examples to the shell
+# will work.
+#
 # Define NO_PERL_MAKEMAKER if you cannot use Makefiles generated by perl's
 # MakeMaker (e.g. using ActiveState under Cygwin).
 #