diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 6ec8d15a..e0e5f80e 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 12 November 2007
 
+* (nicm) If the terminal supports default colours (AX present), force black 
+  background and white foreground to default. This is useful on transparent
+  *terms for programs which don't do it themselves (like most(1)).
 * (nicm) Fill in the rest of the man page.
 * (nicm) kill-session command.
 
@@ -203,4 +206,4 @@
   (including mutt, emacs). No status bar yet and no key remapping or other
   customisation.
 
-$Id: CHANGES,v 1.66 2007-11-12 16:09:08 nicm Exp $
+$Id: CHANGES,v 1.67 2007-11-12 20:29:43 nicm Exp $
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 83be9766..6d7168d7 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@
 - per-session toolbar state, other options
 - commands:
 	kill server
+- force-default option: assume terminal supports default colours even if AX
+  is missing (like, eg, xterm-color in an aterm)
 
 -- For 0.1 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 - fix most(1) problems after scrolling
diff --git a/local.c b/local.c
index 62abab55..2d19a716 100644
--- a/local.c
+++ b/local.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* $Id: local.c,v 1.18 2007-11-08 10:39:52 nicm Exp $ */
+/* $Id: local.c,v 1.19 2007-11-12 20:29:43 nicm Exp $ */
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2007 Nicholas Marriott <nicm@users.sourceforge.net>
@@ -766,23 +766,33 @@ local_attributes(u_char attr, u_char colr)
 
 	fg = (colr >> 4) & 0xf;
 	if (fg != ((local_colr >> 4) & 0xf)) {
-		if (fg == 8) {
-			if (tigetflag("AX") == TRUE)
-				local_putp("\e[39m");
-			else if (set_a_foreground != NULL)
-				local_putp(tparm(set_a_foreground, 7));
-		} else if (set_a_foreground != NULL)
+		if (tigetflag("AX") == TRUE) {
+			if (fg == 7)
+				fg = 8;
+		} else {
+			if (fg == 8)
+				fg = 7;
+		}
+		
+		if (fg == 8)
+			local_putp("\e[39m");
+		else if (set_a_foreground != NULL)
 			local_putp(tparm(set_a_foreground, fg));
 	}
 	
 	bg = colr & 0xf;
 	if (bg != (local_colr & 0xf)) {
-		if (bg == 8) {
-			if (tigetflag("AX") == TRUE)
-				local_putp("\e[49m");
-			else if (set_a_background != NULL)
-				local_putp(tparm(set_a_background, 0));
-		} else if (set_a_background != NULL)
+		if (tigetflag("AX") == TRUE) {
+			if (bg == 0)
+				bg = 8;
+		} else {
+			if (bg == 8)
+				bg = 0;
+		}
+
+		if (bg == 8)
+			local_putp("\e[49m");
+		else if (set_a_background != NULL)
 			local_putp(tparm(set_a_background, bg));
 	}