diff --git a/ackwork/export_test.go b/ackwork/export_test.go
index 1fbc92595f99ffbb17b5d28158dc028baa82f0d7..f8804233cf1a0a4bfa5dfd281913374aeb1c51c2 100644
--- a/ackwork/export_test.go
+++ b/ackwork/export_test.go
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 package ackwork
 
 var SetSuffix = setSuffix
+var RemoveQuotes = removeQuotes
diff --git a/ackwork/set_suffix.go b/ackwork/set_suffix.go
index b8387e5ee8664abebc8e2e5c88b512221a491f45..5edf6d484c519a6852c37815820271d27b96cec5 100644
--- a/ackwork/set_suffix.go
+++ b/ackwork/set_suffix.go
@@ -35,3 +35,16 @@ func setSuffix(fname, suffix string) (string, error) {
 		return fname[0:len(fname)-len(oldExt)] + suffix, nil
 	}
 }
+
+// removeQuotes removes leading and trailing quotes from a string.
+// We do not check for single, unmatched quotes. If you want a file
+// called "fname you should use some other program.
+func removeQuotes (s string) string {
+	for ; len(s) > 0 && s[0] == '"'  ;{
+		s = s[1:]
+	}
+	for ; len(s) > 0 && s[len(s)-1] == '"' ; {
+		s = s[:len(s)-1]
+	}
+	return s
+}