diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 758061fa..86b413d8 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 	--enable-tiny plus --enable-browser.
 	* src/rcfile.c: Tweak some comments and reshuffle some lines.
 	* src/rcfile.c (color_to_short): Elide a variable.
+	* src/rcfile.c (grab_and_store): First check that there is an
+	open syntax before checking that it is named "default".
 
 2016-03-10  Benno Schulenberg  <bensberg@justemail.net>
 	* src/rcfile.c (grab_and_store): Do not accept 'header" and 'magic'
diff --git a/src/rcfile.c b/src/rcfile.c
index 87cb186f..cdf112e3 100644
--- a/src/rcfile.c
+++ b/src/rcfile.c
@@ -797,6 +797,12 @@ void grab_and_store(const char *kind, char *ptr, regexlisttype **storage)
 {
     regexlisttype *lastthing;
 
+    if (!opensyntax) {
+	rcfile_error(
+		N_("A '%s' command requires a preceding 'syntax' command"), kind);
+	return;
+    }
+
     /* The default syntax doesn't take any file matching stuff. */
     if (strcmp(live_syntax->name, "default") == 0 && *ptr != '\0') {
 	rcfile_error(
@@ -804,12 +810,6 @@ void grab_and_store(const char *kind, char *ptr, regexlisttype **storage)
 	return;
     }
 
-    if (!opensyntax) {
-	rcfile_error(
-		N_("A '%s' command requires a preceding 'syntax' command"), kind);
-	return;
-    }
-
     if (*ptr == '\0') {
 	rcfile_error(N_("Missing regex string after '%s' command"), kind);
 	return;