diff --git a/src/lib/format-obj.cpp b/src/lib/format-obj.cpp
index 1b4068244..84651a4ea 100644
--- a/src/lib/format-obj.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/format-obj.cpp
@@ -54,12 +54,16 @@
 #include <iomanip>
 #include <sstream>
 #include <string>
+#include <regex>
 
 //using util::_Fmt;
 using util::removePrefix;
 using util::removeSuffix;
 using std::string;
 
+using std::regex;
+using std::regex_replace;
+
 
 namespace { // hard-wired configuration for debugging output....
   
@@ -152,12 +156,58 @@ apologies for that."
   
   
   
+  
+  /** \par implementation notes
+   * - we do not strip type adornments like `const`, `&` or `*`,
+   *   however, the typical usage from within util::typeStr()
+   *   is arranged in a way to absorb these adornments by the way
+   *   the template signatures are defined
+   * - we _do_ simplify the type display and strip some obnoxious
+   *   namespace prefixes with the help of `std::regex_replace`
+   * - we perform those simplifying rewrites _in place_ thus _overwriting_
+   *   the result string. This exploits the fact that the replacements are
+   *   _always shorter_ than what is being replaced (**beware**).
+   * - standard regular expressions can be [assumed][stdRegEx-threadsafe]
+   *   to be threadsafe. Thus, we're able to build an embedded shared
+   *   static variable _on demand_ and use the performance optimisation
+   *   offered by the standard library
+   * - performance wise we'll assume the transformation happens within
+   *   the cache, so it doesn't make much of a difference if we scan
+   *   the same comparatively short string multiple times
+   * 
+   * [stdRegEx-threadsafe]: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15752910/is-stdregex-thread-safe 
+   */
   string
   humanReadableTypeID (Literal rawType)
   {
+    static regex commonPrefixes {"std::"
+                                "|lib::meta::"
+                                "|lib::time::"
+                                "|lib::test::"
+                                "|lib::diff::"
+                                "|lib::"
+                                "|util::"
+                                "|proc::"
+                                "|proc::asset::"
+                                "|proc::mobject::"
+                                "|proc::mobject::session::"
+                                "|proc::play::"
+                                "|gui::model"
+                                "|gui::ctrl"
+                                , regex::ECMAScript | regex::optimize};
+    
+    static regex stdAllocator {"(\\w+<(\\w+)), allocator<\\2>\\s*"
+                                , regex::ECMAScript | regex::optimize};
+    
+    
     string typeName = demangleCxx (rawType);
-    removePrefix (typeName, "const ");
-    removeSuffix (typeName, " const*");
+    auto pos = typeName.begin();
+    auto end = typeName.end();
+    
+    end = regex_replace(pos, pos, end, commonPrefixes, "");
+    end = regex_replace(pos, pos, end, stdAllocator, "$1");
+
+    typeName.resize(end - typeName.begin());
     return typeName;
   }
   
diff --git a/tests/library/meta/meta-utils-test.cpp b/tests/library/meta/meta-utils-test.cpp
index 8cadb5699..88aa359e1 100644
--- a/tests/library/meta/meta-utils-test.cpp
+++ b/tests/library/meta/meta-utils-test.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@
 #include "lib/meta/typelist.hpp"
 
 #include <string>
+#include <iostream>
+using std::cout;
+using std::endl;/////////////////////////TODO
 
 
 namespace lib  {
@@ -51,6 +54,7 @@ namespace test {
       run (Arg) 
         {
           verify_basicAssumptions();
+          verify_genericTypeDisplay();
           
           detect_stringConversion();
           detect_typeList();
@@ -78,6 +82,26 @@ namespace test {
       
       
       
+      void
+      verify_genericTypeDisplay()
+        {
+          cout << typeStr<SubString>() <<endl;
+          
+          struct Lunatic
+            : Test
+            {
+              virtual void run (Arg) {}
+            }
+          lunatic;
+          cout << typeStr(lunatic)     << endl;
+          cout << typeStr(&lunatic)      << endl;
+          cout << typeStr((Test &)lunatic) << endl;
+          cout << typeStr((Test *) &lunatic) << endl;
+          cout << typeStr(&Lunatic::run)       << endl;
+        }
+      
+      
+      
       //-------------------------------------------------TEST-types--
       class SubString : public string
         { 
diff --git a/tests/library/meta/type-display-test.cpp b/tests/library/meta/type-display-test.cpp
index e2560ad5d..dc89014e3 100644
--- a/tests/library/meta/type-display-test.cpp
+++ b/tests/library/meta/type-display-test.cpp
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ namespace test{
     struct Space { };
     
     auto CHALLENGE_1 = "some::arbitrary::BullShit<oh::RLY>";
-    auto CHALLENGE_2 = "lib::BullShit<const std::string& (const std::vector<proc::mobject::oh::RLY* const>)>";
+    auto CHALLENGE_2 = "lib::Contrived<lib::meta::Barely,true>::ClusterFuck<const std::string& (const std::vector<proc::mobject::oh::RLY* const>)>";
     auto CHALLENGE_3 = "std::function<special::(anonymous namespace)::Shit(lib::P<asset::Clip, std::shared_ptr<asset::Clip>>)>";
     
   }//(end)fixture
diff --git a/tests/library/test/test-helper-test.cpp b/tests/library/test/test-helper-test.cpp
index 5bec0bee4..328d10fbd 100644
--- a/tests/library/test/test-helper-test.cpp
+++ b/tests/library/test/test-helper-test.cpp
@@ -94,18 +94,26 @@ namespace test{
           CHECK (2 == sizeof (rmpf2));
           CHECK (3 == sizeof (rmpf3));
           
-          cout << showSizeof<char>("just a char")  << endl;
-          cout << showSizeof(murpf)                << endl;
-          cout << showSizeof(rmpf1)                << endl;
-          cout << showSizeof(rmpf2)                << endl;
-          cout << showSizeof<Wrmpf3>()             << endl;
-          cout << showSizeof(size_t(24),
-                             string{"everything"}) << endl;
+          cout << showSizeof<char>("just a char") << endl;
+          cout << showSizeof(murpf)               << endl;
+          cout << showSizeof(rmpf1)               << endl;
+          cout << showSizeof(rmpf2)               << endl;
+          cout << showSizeof<Wrmpf3>()            << endl;
+          cout << showSizeof(size_t(42),
+                             string{"Universe"})  << endl;
           
           Wrmpf1 *p1 = &rmpf1;
           Wrmpf1 *p2 = 0;
           cout << showSizeof(p1)  << endl;
           cout << showSizeof(p2)  << endl;
+          
+          Wrmpf1 & r = rmpf1;
+          Wrmpf1 const& cr = r;
+          Wrmpf1 const* cp = &r;
+          
+          cout << showSizeof(r)  << endl;
+          cout << showSizeof(cr)  << endl;
+          cout << showSizeof(cp)  << endl;
         }