diff --git a/IPython/utils/text.py b/IPython/utils/text.py
index 8d52935..44b19b9 100644
--- a/IPython/utils/text.py
+++ b/IPython/utils/text.py
@@ -36,18 +36,6 @@ from IPython.utils.data import flatten
 # Code
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-def unquote_ends(istr):
-    """Remove a single pair of quotes from the endpoints of a string."""
-
-    if not istr:
-        return istr
-    if (istr[0]=="'" and istr[-1]=="'") or \
-       (istr[0]=='"' and istr[-1]=='"'):
-        return istr[1:-1]
-    else:
-        return istr
-
-
 class LSString(str):
     """String derivative with a special access attributes.
 
@@ -269,58 +257,6 @@ class SList(list):
 # print_slist = result_display.when_type(SList)(print_slist)
 
 
-def esc_quotes(strng):
-    """Return the input string with single and double quotes escaped out"""
-
-    return strng.replace('"','\\"').replace("'","\\'")
-
-
-def qw(words,flat=0,sep=None,maxsplit=-1):
-    """Similar to Perl's qw() operator, but with some more options.
-
-    qw(words,flat=0,sep=' ',maxsplit=-1) -> words.split(sep,maxsplit)
-
-    words can also be a list itself, and with flat=1, the output will be
-    recursively flattened.
-
-    Examples:
-
-    >>> qw('1 2')
-    ['1', '2']
-
-    >>> qw(['a b','1 2',['m n','p q']])
-    [['a', 'b'], ['1', '2'], [['m', 'n'], ['p', 'q']]]
-
-    >>> qw(['a b','1 2',['m n','p q']],flat=1)
-    ['a', 'b', '1', '2', 'm', 'n', 'p', 'q']
-    """
-
-    if isinstance(words, basestring):
-        return [word.strip() for word in words.split(sep,maxsplit)
-                if word and not word.isspace() ]
-    if flat:
-        return flatten(map(qw,words,[1]*len(words)))
-    return map(qw,words)
-
-
-def qwflat(words,sep=None,maxsplit=-1):
-    """Calls qw(words) in flat mode. It's just a convenient shorthand."""
-    return qw(words,1,sep,maxsplit)
-
-
-def qw_lol(indata):
-    """qw_lol('a b') -> [['a','b']],
-    otherwise it's just a call to qw().
-
-    We need this to make sure the modules_some keys *always* end up as a
-    list of lists."""
-
-    if isinstance(indata, basestring):
-        return [qw(indata)]
-    else:
-        return qw(indata)
-
-
 def indent(instr,nspaces=4, ntabs=0, flatten=False):
     """Indent a string a given number of spaces or tabstops.