diff --git a/tests/t1300-ls.sh b/tests/t1300-ls.sh
index fb47438..a374c5b 100755
--- a/tests/t1300-ls.sh
+++ b/tests/t1300-ls.sh
@@ -53,6 +53,47 @@ test_todo_session 'checking TODOTXT_FINAL_FILTER' <<EOF
 TODO: 3 of 3 tasks shown
 EOF
 
+#
+# check the filtering of TERM
+#
+test_todo_session 'checking filtering of TERM' <<EOF
+>>> todo.sh ls second
+3 bbb yyy this line should be second.
+--
+TODO: 1 of 3 tasks shown
+
+>>> todo.sh ls "should be f"
+2 aaa zzz this line should be first.
+--
+TODO: 1 of 3 tasks shown
+
+>>> todo.sh ls " zzz"
+2 aaa zzz this line should be first.
+--
+TODO: 1 of 3 tasks shown
+EOF
+
+#
+# check the filtering of TERM with regexp
+#
+test_todo_session 'checking filtering of TERM with regexp' <<EOF
+>>> todo.sh ls "ir[ds]"
+2 aaa zzz this line should be first.
+1 ccc xxx this line should be third.
+--
+TODO: 2 of 3 tasks shown
+
+>>> todo.sh ls "f.*t"
+2 aaa zzz this line should be first.
+--
+TODO: 1 of 3 tasks shown
+
+>>> todo.sh ls "ir[ds]" xxx
+1 ccc xxx this line should be third.
+--
+TODO: 1 of 3 tasks shown
+EOF
+
 #
 # check the x command line option
 #
diff --git a/todo.sh b/todo.sh
index f8c4c5e..b82c234 100755
--- a/todo.sh
+++ b/todo.sh
@@ -515,10 +515,10 @@ _list() {
     ## Prefix the filter_command with the pre_filter_command
     filter_command="${pre_filter_command:-}"
 
-    for search_term in "$@"
+    for search_term
     do
         ## See if the first character of $search_term is a dash
-        if [ ${search_term:0:1} != '-' ]
+        if [ "${search_term:0:1}" != '-' ]
         then
             ## First character isn't a dash: hide lines that don't match
             ## this $search_term