  Embedding text in one language within text of another is commonplace for
numerous purposes, but usually requires tedious and error-prone "escaping"
transformations on the embedded string. We propose a simple cross-language
syntactic discipline, matchertext, which enables the safe embedding a string in
any compliant language into a string in any other language via simple
"copy-and-paste" - in particular with no escaping, obfuscation, or expansion of
embedded strings. We apply this syntactic discipline to several common and
frequently-embedded language syntaxes such as URIs, HTML, and JavaScript,
exploring the benefits, costs, and compatibility issues in adopting the
proposed matchertext discipline. One early matchertext-based language is MinML,
a concise but general alternative syntax for writing HTML or XML.
