ad="Ok" a="Ba" # "Ok" echo $a\ d # This variable contains backslash+newline! e='echo $a\ d' # "Ba d" eval $e # "Ok" eval "$e" echo $\ (echo Ok\ ) echo "$\ (echo Ok\ )" echo Forty two:$\ (\ (\ 42\ )\ ) echo "Forty two:$\ (\ (\ 42\ )\ )"