diff --git a/research/try.cpp b/research/try.cpp
index 26a3d595a..400e6d74b 100644
--- a/research/try.cpp
+++ b/research/try.cpp
@@ -102,23 +102,15 @@ showRefRRefVal()
                                            : std::is_rvalue_reference<X>::value? " by MOVE": " VAL";
 }
 
-template<typename X>
+template<typename... XS>
 void
-diagnostics (string id, X const& x)
+diagnostics (string id, XS const&... xs)
 {
-  cout << "--"<<id<<"--   Type... " << lib::test::showType<X>()
-       << "\n     Address ... " << &x
-       << showRefRRefVal<X>()
+  cout << "--"<<id<<"--\n"
+       << lib::test::showVariadicTypes<XS...>(xs...)
        << "\n"
        ;
 }
-template<typename X, typename... XS>
-void
-diagnostics (string id, X const& x, XS const&... xs)
-{
-  diagnostics<X> (id, x);
-  diagnostics<XS...> (id, xs...);
-}
 
 
 void
diff --git a/src/lib/test/test-helper.hpp b/src/lib/test/test-helper.hpp
index 8a778840f..3d0332c3f 100644
--- a/src/lib/test/test-helper.hpp
+++ b/src/lib/test/test-helper.hpp
@@ -28,9 +28,10 @@
 #include "lib/symbol.hpp"
 #include "lib/time/timevalue.hpp"
 
+#include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
 #include <typeinfo>
-#include <string>
 #include <cstdlib>
+#include <string>
 
 
 
@@ -101,8 +102,40 @@ namespace test{
   
   
   
-    
-  /** create a random but not insane Time value */    
+  /** helper to discern the kind of reference of the argument type */
+  template<typename R>
+  string
+  showRefKind()
+  {
+    return std::is_lvalue_reference<R>::value? "REF"
+               : std::is_rvalue_reference<R>::value? "MOV"
+                                                   : "VAL";
+  }
+  
+  /** helper for investigating a variadic argument pack */
+  inline string
+  showVariadicTypes ()
+  {
+    return " :.";
+  }
+  
+  template<typename X, typename... XS>
+  string
+  showVariadicTypes (X const& x, XS const&... xs)
+  {
+    return " :---#"
+         + boost::lexical_cast<string>(1 + sizeof...(xs))
+         + "  -- Type: " + showType<X>()
+         + "  "          + showRefKind<X>()
+         + "  Address* " + boost::lexical_cast<string>(&x)
+         + "\n"
+         + showVariadicTypes (xs...);
+  }
+  
+  
+  
+  
+  /** create a random but not insane Time value */
   inline lib::time::Time
   randTime ()
   {
diff --git a/tests/library/test/test-helper-variadic-test.cpp b/tests/library/test/test-helper-variadic-test.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d171dcf4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/library/test/test-helper-variadic-test.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+/*
+  TestHelperVariadic(Test)  -  verify variadic template diagnostics helper
+
+  Copyright (C)         Lumiera.org
+    2014,               Hermann Vosseler <Ichthyostega@web.de>
+
+  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+  modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
+  published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of
+  the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+
+  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+  GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+  along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+  Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
+
+* *****************************************************/
+
+
+#include "lib/test/run.hpp"
+#include "lib/test/test-helper.hpp"
+//#include "lib/util.hpp"
+
+
+//#include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <utility>
+#include <string>
+#include <cmath>
+//#include <map>
+
+//using boost::lexical_cast;
+//using util::contains;
+using std::string;
+using std::cout;
+//using std::endl;
+
+
+namespace lib {
+namespace test{
+namespace test{
+  
+  namespace { // test fixture...
+    
+    class Interface
+      {
+      public:
+        Interface(){}
+        Interface(Interface const& o) { cout << "COPY.CT from "<<&o<<" !!!\n"; }
+        Interface(Interface const&& o) { cout << "MOVE.CT from "<<&o<<" !!!\n"; }
+        
+        Interface& operator= (Interface const& o) { cout << "COPY= from "<<&o<<" !!!\n"; return *this; }
+        Interface& operator= (Interface const&& o) { cout << "MOVE= from "<<&o<<" !!!\n"; return *this; }
+        
+        virtual ~Interface() { }
+      };
+    
+    class Impl
+      : public Interface
+      {
+        string s_;
+        
+      public:
+        Impl(string ss ="IMP") : s_(ss) { }
+      };
+    
+    
+    inline double
+    makeRvalue()
+      {
+        return atan2(0,-0.0);
+      }
+    
+    
+  }//(End) test fixture
+  
+  
+  
+  
+  
+  
+  /****************************************************************************//**
+   * @test document usage of the diagnostics helper for variadic templates.
+   *       Errors in variadic template instantiations are sometimes hard to spot,
+   *       due to the intricacies of template argument matching and the
+   *       reference collapsing rules. Our diagnostics facility is itself a
+   *       variadic function template, which, when supplied with an argument pack,
+   *       will build a diagnostic string describing the arguments.
+   * @warning care has to be taken to pass the template arguments properly,
+   *       since template argument matching might mess up the reference kind
+   *       (rvalue, lvalue) of the passed types. Thus, either use std::forward,
+   *       or spell out the template argument(s) explicitly on invocation
+   *       
+   * @see showVariadicTypes()
+   * @see TestHelper_test
+   */
+  class TestHelperVariadic_test : public Test
+    {
+      
+      virtual void
+      run (Arg)
+        {
+          double d = makeRvalue();
+          double& dr = d;
+
+          Impl obj;
+          Interface const& ref = obj;
+
+          cout << "--no-arg--\n" << showVariadicTypes() <<"\n";
+          cout << "--value--\n"     << showVariadicTypes<double>(d) <<"\n";
+          cout << "--reference--\n" << showVariadicTypes<double&>(d) <<"\n";
+          cout << "--move--\n"      << showVariadicTypes<double&&>(d) <<"\n";
+          
+          forwardFunction("two values", "foo", 42L);
+          forwardFunction("matched", d,dr,std::move(dr));
+          
+          forwardFunction<Interface const&>("baseclass", ref);
+        }
+      
+      
+      template<typename... ARGS>
+      void
+      forwardFunction (string id, ARGS const&... args)
+        {
+          cout << "--"<<id<<"--\n"
+               << showVariadicTypes<ARGS...>(args...)
+               << "\n"
+               ;
+        }
+      
+    };
+  
+  
+  /** Register this test class... */
+  LAUNCHER (TestHelperVariadic_test, "unit common");
+  
+  
+}}} // namespace lib::test::test