diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 083e8823d2b..9a6407d2c6f 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -4333,22 +4333,22 @@ if test "${build}" != "${host}" ; then
   WINDRES_FOR_BUILD=${WINDRES_FOR_BUILD-windres}
   WINDMC_FOR_BUILD=${WINDMC_FOR_BUILD-windmc}
 else
-  AR_FOR_BUILD="\$(AR)"
-  AS_FOR_BUILD="\$(AS)"
-  CC_FOR_BUILD="\$(CC)"
-  CXX_FOR_BUILD="\$(CXX)"
-  DLLTOOL_FOR_BUILD="\$(DLLTOOL)"
-  DSYMUTIL_FOR_BUILD="\$(DSYMUTIL)"
-  GFORTRAN_FOR_BUILD="\$(GFORTRAN)"
-  A68_FOR_BUILD="\$(A68)"
-  GOC_FOR_BUILD="\$(GOC)"
-  GDC_FOR_BUILD="\$(GDC)"
-  GNATMAKE_FOR_BUILD="\$(GNATMAKE)"
-  LD_FOR_BUILD="\$(LD)"
-  NM_FOR_BUILD="\$(NM)"
-  RANLIB_FOR_BUILD="\$(RANLIB)"
-  WINDRES_FOR_BUILD="\$(WINDRES)"
-  WINDMC_FOR_BUILD="\$(WINDMC)"
+  AR_FOR_BUILD="${AR_FOR_BUILD-\$(AR)}"
+  AS_FOR_BUILD="${AS_FOR_BUILD-\$(AS)}"
+  CC_FOR_BUILD="${CC_FOR_BUILD-\$(CC)}"
+  CXX_FOR_BUILD="${CXX_FOR_BUILD-\$(CXX)}"
+  DLLTOOL_FOR_BUILD="${DLLTOOL_FOR_BUILD-\$(DLLTOOL)}"
+  DSYMUTIL_FOR_BUILD="${DSYMUTIL_FOR_BUILD-\$(DSYMUTIL)}"
+  GFORTRAN_FOR_BUILD="${GFORTRAN_FOR_BUILD-\$(GFORTRAN)}"
+  A68_FOR_BUILD="${A68_FOR_BUILD-\$(A68)}"
+  GOC_FOR_BUILD="${GOC_FOR_BUILD-\$(GOC)}"
+  GDC_FOR_BUILD="${GDC_FOR_BUILD-\$(GDC)}"
+  GNATMAKE_FOR_BUILD="${GNATMAKE_FOR_BUILD-\$(GNATMAKE)}"
+  LD_FOR_BUILD="${LD_FOR_BUILD-\$(LD)}"
+  NM_FOR_BUILD="${NM_FOR_BUILD-\$(NM)}"
+  RANLIB_FOR_BUILD="${RANLIB_FOR_BUILD-\$(RANLIB)}"
+  WINDRES_FOR_BUILD="${WINDRES_FOR_BUILD-\$(WINDRES)}"
+  WINDMC_FOR_BUILD="${WINDMC_FOR_BUILD-\$(WINDMC)}"
 fi
 
 ac_ext=c
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index c5de225b0ac..0854638e8e8 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1468,22 +1468,22 @@ if test "${build}" != "${host}" ; then
   WINDRES_FOR_BUILD=${WINDRES_FOR_BUILD-windres}
   WINDMC_FOR_BUILD=${WINDMC_FOR_BUILD-windmc}
 else
-  AR_FOR_BUILD="\$(AR)"
-  AS_FOR_BUILD="\$(AS)"
-  CC_FOR_BUILD="\$(CC)"
-  CXX_FOR_BUILD="\$(CXX)"
-  DLLTOOL_FOR_BUILD="\$(DLLTOOL)"
-  DSYMUTIL_FOR_BUILD="\$(DSYMUTIL)"
-  GFORTRAN_FOR_BUILD="\$(GFORTRAN)"
-  A68_FOR_BUILD="\$(A68)"
-  GOC_FOR_BUILD="\$(GOC)"
-  GDC_FOR_BUILD="\$(GDC)"
-  GNATMAKE_FOR_BUILD="\$(GNATMAKE)"
-  LD_FOR_BUILD="\$(LD)"
-  NM_FOR_BUILD="\$(NM)"
-  RANLIB_FOR_BUILD="\$(RANLIB)"
-  WINDRES_FOR_BUILD="\$(WINDRES)"
-  WINDMC_FOR_BUILD="\$(WINDMC)"
+  AR_FOR_BUILD="${AR_FOR_BUILD-\$(AR)}"
+  AS_FOR_BUILD="${AS_FOR_BUILD-\$(AS)}"
+  CC_FOR_BUILD="${CC_FOR_BUILD-\$(CC)}"
+  CXX_FOR_BUILD="${CXX_FOR_BUILD-\$(CXX)}"
+  DLLTOOL_FOR_BUILD="${DLLTOOL_FOR_BUILD-\$(DLLTOOL)}"
+  DSYMUTIL_FOR_BUILD="${DSYMUTIL_FOR_BUILD-\$(DSYMUTIL)}"
+  GFORTRAN_FOR_BUILD="${GFORTRAN_FOR_BUILD-\$(GFORTRAN)}"
+  A68_FOR_BUILD="${A68_FOR_BUILD-\$(A68)}"
+  GOC_FOR_BUILD="${GOC_FOR_BUILD-\$(GOC)}"
+  GDC_FOR_BUILD="${GDC_FOR_BUILD-\$(GDC)}"
+  GNATMAKE_FOR_BUILD="${GNATMAKE_FOR_BUILD-\$(GNATMAKE)}"
+  LD_FOR_BUILD="${LD_FOR_BUILD-\$(LD)}"
+  NM_FOR_BUILD="${NM_FOR_BUILD-\$(NM)}"
+  RANLIB_FOR_BUILD="${RANLIB_FOR_BUILD-\$(RANLIB)}"
+  WINDRES_FOR_BUILD="${WINDRES_FOR_BUILD-\$(WINDRES)}"
+  WINDMC_FOR_BUILD="${WINDMC_FOR_BUILD-\$(WINDMC)}"
 fi
 
 AC_PROG_CC_C99