diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ def walk(repo, pats, opts, head = ''):
     cwd = repo.getcwd()
     c = 0
     if cwd: c = len(cwd) + 1
-    for src, fn in repo.walk(match = matchpats(cwd, pats, opts, head)):
+    files, matchfn = matchpats(cwd, pats, opts, head)
+    for src, fn in repo.walk(files = files, match = matchfn):
         yield src, fn, fn[c:]
 
 revrangesep = ':'
@@ -1007,7 +1008,8 @@ def status(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     R = removed
     ? = not tracked'''
 
-    (c, a, d, u) = repo.changes(match = matchpats(repo.getcwd(), pats, opts))
+    files, matchfn = matchpats(repo.getcwd(), pats, opts)
+    (c, a, d, u) = repo.changes(files = files, match = matchfn)
     (c, a, d, u) = map(lambda x: relfilter(repo, x), (c, a, d, u))
 
     for f in c:
diff --git a/mercurial/util.py b/mercurial/util.py
--- a/mercurial/util.py
+++ b/mercurial/util.py
@@ -66,7 +66,15 @@ def globre(pat, head = '^', tail = '$'):
             res += re.escape(c)
     return head + res + tail
 
-def matcher(cwd, pats, inc, exc, head = ''):
+_globchars = {'[': 1, '{': 1, '*': 1, '?': 1}
+
+def matcher(cwd, names, inc, exc, head = ''):
+    def patlike(name):
+        for prefix in 're:', 'glob:', 'path:':
+            if name.startswith(prefix): return True
+        for c in name:
+            if c in _globchars: return True
+
     def regex(name, tail):
         '''convert a pattern into a regular expression'''
         if name.startswith('re:'):
@@ -77,6 +85,8 @@ def matcher(cwd, pats, inc, exc, head = 
             return head + globre(name[5:], '', tail)
         return head + globre(name, '', tail)
 
+    cwdsep = cwd + os.sep
+
     def under(fn):
         """check if fn is under our cwd"""
         return not cwd or fn.startswith(cwdsep)
@@ -86,16 +96,25 @@ def matcher(cwd, pats, inc, exc, head = 
         if pats:
             pat = '(?:%s)' % '|'.join([regex(p, tail) for p in pats])
             if cwd:
-                pat = re.escape(cwd + os.sep) + pat
+                pat = re.escape(cwdsep) + pat
             return re.compile(pat).match
 
-    cwdsep = cwd + os.sep
-    patmatch = matchfn(pats, '$') or (lambda fn: True)
+    pats = filter(patlike, names)
+    files = [n for n in names if not patlike(n)]
+    if pats: plain = []
+    elif cwd: plain = [cwdsep + f for f in files]
+    else: plain = files
+        
+    patmatch = matchfn(pats, '$')
+    filematch = matchfn(files, '(?:/|$)')
     incmatch = matchfn(inc, '(?:/|$)') or under
     excmatch = matchfn(exc, '(?:/|$)') or (lambda fn: False)
 
-    return lambda fn: (incmatch(fn) and not excmatch(fn) and
-                       (fn.endswith('/') or patmatch(fn)))
+    return plain, lambda fn: (incmatch(fn) and not excmatch(fn) and
+                              (fn.endswith('/') or
+                               (not pats and not files) or
+                               (pats and patmatch(fn)) or
+                               (files and filematch(fn))))
 
 def system(cmd, errprefix=None):
     """execute a shell command that must succeed"""