diff --git a/Makefile.common b/Makefile.common
index c9a52a8b6..02dd5fbfd 100644
--- a/Makefile.common
+++ b/Makefile.common
@@ -23,15 +23,11 @@ DEPDIR=.dep
 D=d
 MKDIR=mkdir -p
 
-# note: these are defined by lazy expansions
-# as some parts of the makefiles change BINDIR, etc.
-# and expect INSTALL_BINDIR, etc. to stay in synch
-# (see `shellquote` in tools/Makefile)
 DESTDIR ?=
-INSTALL_BINDIR = $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
-INSTALL_LIBDIR = $(DESTDIR)$(LIBDIR)
-INSTALL_STUBLIBDIR = $(DESTDIR)$(STUBLIBDIR)
-INSTALL_MANDIR = $(DESTDIR)$(MANDIR)
+INSTALL_BINDIR := $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)
+INSTALL_LIBDIR := $(DESTDIR)$(LIBDIR)
+INSTALL_STUBLIBDIR := $(DESTDIR)$(STUBLIBDIR)
+INSTALL_MANDIR := $(DESTDIR)$(MANDIR)
 
 ifeq "$(UNIX_OR_WIN32)" "win32"
 FLEXDLL_SUBMODULE_PRESENT := $(wildcard $(ROOTDIR)/flexdll/Makefile)
diff --git a/tools/Makefile b/tools/Makefile
index 69b67c586..931ec3eee 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile
+++ b/tools/Makefile
@@ -18,13 +18,6 @@ ROOTDIR = ..
 
 include $(ROOTDIR)/Makefile.common
 
-ifeq ($(SYSTEM),unix)
-override define shellquote
-$i := $$(subst ",\",$$(subst $$$$,\$$$$,$$(subst `,\`,$i)))#")#
-endef
-$(foreach i,BINDIR LIBDIR STUBLIBDIR MANDIR,$(eval $(shellquote)))
-endif
-
 DESTDIR ?=
 # Setup GNU make variables storing per-target source and target,
 # a list of installed tools, and a function to quote a filename for