diff --git a/string_algorithms.cpp b/string_algorithms.cpp
index 4fc147a..299ecba 100644
--- a/string_algorithms.cpp
+++ b/string_algorithms.cpp
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ static_assert( __cplusplus > 2020'00 );
 
 #include "string_algorithms.h"
 
+#include <memory>
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <exception>
 
@@ -17,11 +18,136 @@ namespace Alepha::Cavorite  ::detail::  string_algorithms
 			const bool debugExpansion= false or C::debug;
 			const bool debugCommas= false or C::debug;
 		}
+
+		struct VariableExpansionStreambuf
+			: public std::streambuf
+		{
+			public:
+				std::streambuf *underlying= nullptr;
+				VarMap substitutions;
+				std::stringbuf varName;
+				char sigil;
+				enum { Symbol, Normal } mode= Normal;
+
+				void
+				writeChar( const char ch )
+				{
+					std::ostream current{ underlying };
+
+					if( mode == Normal and ch == sigil )
+					{
+						mode= Symbol;
+						varName.str( "" );
+						return;
+					}
+					if( mode == Symbol and ch == sigil )
+					{
+						mode= Normal;
+						const std::string name( varName.view() );
+						if( not name.empty() )
+						{
+							if( not substitutions.contains( name ) )
+							{
+								throw std::runtime_error{ "No such variable: `" + name +"`" };
+							}
+							if( C::debugExpansion ) error() << "Expanding variable with name `" << name << "`" << std::endl;
+							current << substitutions.at( name )();
+						}
+						else current << sigil;
+						return;
+					}
+
+					if( mode == Symbol ) current.rdbuf( &varName );
+					current << ch;
+				}
+
+				int
+				overflow( const int ch ) override
+				{
+					if( ch == EOF ) throw std::logic_error{ "EOF!" };
+					writeChar( ch );
+
+					return 1;
+				}
+
+				std::streamsize
+				xsputn( const char *const data, const std::streamsize amt ) override
+				{
+					for( std::streamsize i= 0; i< amt; ++i ) overflow( data[ i ] );
+					return amt;
+				}
+
+				void
+				drain()
+				{
+					if( mode != Normal ) throw std::runtime_error{ "Unterminated variable `" + varName.str() + " in expansion." };
+				}
+		};
+
+		const auto wrapperIndex= std::ios::xalloc();
+
+		void
+		releaseWrapper( std::ios_base &ios )
+		{
+			auto *const streambuf= static_cast< VariableExpansionStreambuf * >( ios.pword( wrapperIndex ) );
+			if( not streambuf ) throw std::logic_error{ "Attempt to remove a substitution context which doesn't exist." };
+
+			streambuf->drain();
+			dynamic_cast< std::ostream & >( ios ).rdbuf( streambuf->underlying );
+			delete streambuf;
+			ios.pword( wrapperIndex )= nullptr;
+		}
+
+		void
+		wordwrapCallback( const std::ios_base::event event, std::ios_base &ios, const int idx )
+		{
+			if( wrapperIndex != idx ) throw std::logic_error{ "Wrong index." };
+
+			if( not ios.pword( wrapperIndex ) ) return;
+
+			if( event == std::ios_base::erase_event ) releaseWrapper( ios );
+		}
+	}
+
+	std::ostream &
+	impl::operator << ( std::ostream &os, StartSubstitutions &&params )
+	{
+		auto streambuf= std::make_unique< VariableExpansionStreambuf >();
+		streambuf->underlying= os.rdbuf( streambuf.get() );
+		streambuf->substitutions= std::move( params.substitutions );
+		streambuf->sigil= params.sigil;
+		auto &state= os.iword( wrapperIndex );
+		if( not state )
+		{
+			state= 1;
+			os.register_callback( wordwrapCallback, wrapperIndex );
+		}
+
+		assert( os.pword( wrapperIndex ) == nullptr );
+		os.pword( wrapperIndex )= streambuf.release();
+
+		return os;
+	}
+
+	std::ostream &
+	impl::operator << ( std::ostream &os, EndSubstitutions_t )
+	{
+		releaseWrapper( os );
+		return os;
 	}
 
 	std::string
 	exports::expandVariables( const std::string &text, const VarMap &vars, const char sigil )
 	{
+		#if 1
+		std::ostringstream oss;
+
+		oss << StartSubstitutions{ sigil, vars };
+		oss << text;
+		oss << EndSubstitutions;
+
+		return std::move( oss ).str();
+		#else
 		if( C::debugExpansion ) error() << "Expanding variables in " << text << std::endl;
 
 		std::string rv;
@@ -61,6 +187,7 @@ namespace Alepha::Cavorite  ::detail::  string_algorithms
 		if( C::debugExpansion ) error() << "Expansion was: `" << rv << "`" << std::endl;
 
 		return rv;
+		#endif
 	}
 
 	std::vector< std::string >
diff --git a/string_algorithms.h b/string_algorithms.h
index efd2852..4ac44b1 100644
--- a/string_algorithms.h
+++ b/string_algorithms.h
@@ -36,6 +36,28 @@ namespace Alepha::inline Cavorite  ::detail::  string_algorithms
 		 */
 		std::string expandVariables( const std::string &text, const VarMap &vars, const char sigil );
 
+		struct StartSubstitutions
+		{
+			const char sigil;
+			VarMap substitutions;
+
+			explicit
+			StartSubstitutions( const char sigil, VarMap substitutions )
+					: sigil( sigil ), substitutions( std::move( substitutions ) )
+			{}
+		};
+
+		// Note that these function as a stack -- so `EndSubstitutions` will
+		// terminate the top of that stack.
+		constexpr struct EndSubstitutions_t {} EndSubstitutions;
+
+		inline namespace impl
+		{
+			std::ostream &operator << ( std::ostream &, StartSubstitutions && );
+
+			std::ostream &operator << ( std::ostream &, EndSubstitutions_t );
+		}
+
 		/*!
 		 * Returns a vector of strings parsed from a comma separated string.
 		 *