diff --git a/gas/ChangeLog b/gas/ChangeLog
index 0ae0206dd4..71dd3b85bc 100644
--- a/gas/ChangeLog
+++ b/gas/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,14 @@
+2018-10-20  Alan Modra  <amodra@gmail.com>
+
+	PR 23800
+	* expr.c (expr): Don't simplify expressions involving forward_ref
+	symbols when mode is expr_defer.
+	* config/tc-spu.c (spu_cons): Parse expression using normal
+	expression evaluation if @ppu is not detected.
+	* testsuite/gas/all/eqv-dot.d,
+	* testsuite/gas/all/eqv-dot.s: New test.
+	* testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp: Run it.
+
 2018-10-19  Tamar Christina  <tamar.christina@arm.com>
 
 	* testsuite/gas/arm/undefined-insn-arm.d: Widen pe skip.
diff --git a/gas/config/tc-spu.c b/gas/config/tc-spu.c
index 474805bc26..6998e2b891 100644
--- a/gas/config/tc-spu.c
+++ b/gas/config/tc-spu.c
@@ -815,6 +815,11 @@ spu_cons (int nbytes)
 
   do
     {
+      char *save = input_line_pointer;
+
+      /* Use deferred_expression here so that an expression involving
+	 a symbol that happens to be defined already as an spu symbol,
+	 is not resolved.  */
       deferred_expression (&exp);
       if ((exp.X_op == O_symbol
 	   || exp.X_op == O_constant)
@@ -829,9 +834,12 @@ spu_cons (int nbytes)
 	    {
 	      expressionS new_exp;
 
+	      save = input_line_pointer;
 	      expression (&new_exp);
 	      if (new_exp.X_op == O_constant)
 		exp.X_add_number += new_exp.X_add_number;
+	      else
+		input_line_pointer = save;
 	    }
 
 	  reloc = nbytes == 4 ? BFD_RELOC_SPU_PPU32 : BFD_RELOC_SPU_PPU64;
@@ -839,7 +847,14 @@ spu_cons (int nbytes)
 		       &exp, 0, reloc);
 	}
       else
-	emit_expr (&exp, nbytes);
+	{
+	  /* Don't use deferred_expression for anything else.
+	     deferred_expression won't evaulate dot at the point it is
+	     used.  */
+	  input_line_pointer = save;
+	  expression (&exp);
+	  emit_expr (&exp, nbytes);
+	}
     }
   while (*input_line_pointer++ == ',');
 
diff --git a/gas/expr.c b/gas/expr.c
index 074e0b3f0b..bacfa4e9e8 100644
--- a/gas/expr.c
+++ b/gas/expr.c
@@ -1838,6 +1838,13 @@ expr (int rankarg,		/* Larger # is higher rank.  */
 	  right.X_op_symbol = NULL;
 	}
 
+      if (mode == expr_defer
+	  && ((resultP->X_add_symbol != NULL
+	       && S_IS_FORWARD_REF (resultP->X_add_symbol))
+	      || (right.X_add_symbol != NULL
+		  && S_IS_FORWARD_REF (right.X_add_symbol))))
+	goto general;
+
       /* Optimize common cases.  */
 #ifdef md_optimize_expr
       if (md_optimize_expr (resultP, op_left, &right))
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/eqv-dot.d b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/eqv-dot.d
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..154530348e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/eqv-dot.d
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#objdump: -s -j .data
+#name: eqv involving dot
+# bfin doesn't support 'symbol = expression'
+# tic4x has 4 octets per byte
+#notarget: bfin-*-* tic4x-*-*
+
+.*: .*
+
+Contents of section \.data:
+ 0000 (0+00 0+01 0+02 0+0c|000+ 010+ 020+ 0c0+) .*
+ 0010 (0+10 0+14 0+10 0+1c|100+ 140+ 100+ 1c0+) .*
+#pass
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/eqv-dot.s b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/eqv-dot.s
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cd8cb9198b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/eqv-dot.s
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+	.data
+x:	.long 0, 1, 2, . - x
+ y = . - x
+ z == . - x
+	.long y
+	.long z
+	.long y
+	.long z
diff --git a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp
index c1237f9054..74988a1297 100644
--- a/gas/testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp
+++ b/gas/testsuite/gas/all/gas.exp
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ case $target_triplet in {
 
 gas_test "eqv-ok.s" "" "" ".eqv support"
 gas_test_error "eqv-bad.s" "" ".eqv for symbol already set"
+run_dump_test eqv-dot
 
 if { ![istarget "bfin-*-*"] } then {
     gas_test "assign-ok.s" "" "" "== assignment support"