diff --git a/Lib/telnetlib.py b/Lib/telnetlib.py
index bae4ae7..727e8f7 100644
--- a/Lib/telnetlib.py
+++ b/Lib/telnetlib.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 
 
 # Imported modules
+import errno
 import sys
 import socket
 import select
@@ -205,6 +206,7 @@
         self.sb = 0 # flag for SB and SE sequence.
         self.sbdataq = ''
         self.option_callback = None
+        self._has_poll = hasattr(select, 'poll')
         if host is not None:
             self.open(host, port, timeout)
 
@@ -287,6 +289,61 @@
         is closed and no cooked data is available.
 
         """
+        if self._has_poll:
+            return self._read_until_with_poll(match, timeout)
+        else:
+            return self._read_until_with_select(match, timeout)
+
+    def _read_until_with_poll(self, match, timeout):
+        """Read until a given string is encountered or until timeout.
+
+        This method uses select.poll() to implement the timeout.
+        """
+        n = len(match)
+        call_timeout = timeout
+        if timeout is not None:
+            from time import time
+            time_start = time()
+        self.process_rawq()
+        i = self.cookedq.find(match)
+        if i < 0:
+            poller = select.poll()
+            poll_in_or_priority_flags = select.POLLIN | select.POLLPRI
+            poller.register(self, poll_in_or_priority_flags)
+            while i < 0 and not self.eof:
+                try:
+                    ready = poller.poll(call_timeout)
+                except select.error as e:
+                    if e.errno == errno.EINTR:
+                        if timeout is not None:
+                            elapsed = time() - time_start
+                            call_timeout = timeout-elapsed
+                        continue
+                    raise
+                for fd, mode in ready:
+                    if mode & poll_in_or_priority_flags:
+                        i = max(0, len(self.cookedq)-n)
+                        self.fill_rawq()
+                        self.process_rawq()
+                        i = self.cookedq.find(match, i)
+                if timeout is not None:
+                    elapsed = time() - time_start
+                    if elapsed >= timeout:
+                        break
+                    call_timeout = timeout-elapsed
+            poller.unregister(self)
+        if i >= 0:
+            i = i + n
+            buf = self.cookedq[:i]
+            self.cookedq = self.cookedq[i:]
+            return buf
+        return self.read_very_lazy()
+
+    def _read_until_with_select(self, match, timeout=None):
+        """Read until a given string is encountered or until timeout.
+
+        The timeout is implemented using select.select().
+        """
         n = len(match)
         self.process_rawq()
         i = self.cookedq.find(match)
@@ -589,6 +646,79 @@
         results are undeterministic, and may depend on the I/O timing.
 
         """
+        if self._has_poll:
+            return self._expect_with_poll(list, timeout)
+        else:
+            return self._expect_with_select(list, timeout)
+
+    def _expect_with_poll(self, expect_list, timeout=None):
+        """Read until one from a list of a regular expressions matches.
+
+        This method uses select.poll() to implement the timeout.
+        """
+        re = None
+        expect_list = expect_list[:]
+        indices = range(len(expect_list))
+        for i in indices:
+            if not hasattr(expect_list[i], "search"):
+                if not re: import re
+                expect_list[i] = re.compile(expect_list[i])
+        call_timeout = timeout
+        if timeout is not None:
+            from time import time
+            time_start = time()
+        self.process_rawq()
+        m = None
+        for i in indices:
+            m = expect_list[i].search(self.cookedq)
+            if m:
+                e = m.end()
+                text = self.cookedq[:e]
+                self.cookedq = self.cookedq[e:]
+                break
+        if not m:
+            poller = select.poll()
+            poll_in_or_priority_flags = select.POLLIN | select.POLLPRI
+            poller.register(self, poll_in_or_priority_flags)
+            while not m and not self.eof:
+                try:
+                    ready = poller.poll(call_timeout)
+                except select.error as e:
+                    if e.errno == errno.EINTR:
+                        if timeout is not None:
+                            elapsed = time() - time_start
+                            call_timeout = timeout-elapsed
+                        continue
+                    raise
+                for fd, mode in ready:
+                    if mode & poll_in_or_priority_flags:
+                        self.fill_rawq()
+                        self.process_rawq()
+                        for i in indices:
+                            m = expect_list[i].search(self.cookedq)
+                            if m:
+                                e = m.end()
+                                text = self.cookedq[:e]
+                                self.cookedq = self.cookedq[e:]
+                                break
+                if timeout is not None:
+                    elapsed = time() - time_start
+                    if elapsed >= timeout:
+                        break
+                    call_timeout = timeout-elapsed
+            poller.unregister(self)
+        if m:
+            return (i, m, text)
+        text = self.read_very_lazy()
+        if not text and self.eof:
+            raise EOFError
+        return (-1, None, text)
+
+    def _expect_with_select(self, list, timeout=None):
+        """Read until one from a list of a regular expressions matches.
+
+        The timeout is implemented using select.select().
+        """
         re = None
         list = list[:]
         indices = range(len(list))
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_telnetlib.py b/Lib/test/test_telnetlib.py
index 5a179f0..c66f49b 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_telnetlib.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_telnetlib.py
@@ -135,6 +135,28 @@
         self.assertEqual(data, want[0])
         self.assertEqual(telnet.read_all(), 'not seen')
 
+    def test_read_until_with_poll(self):
+        """Use select.poll() to implement telnet.read_until()."""
+        want = ['x' * 10, 'match', 'y' * 10, EOF_sigil]
+        self.dataq.put(want)
+        telnet = telnetlib.Telnet(HOST, self.port)
+        if not telnet._has_poll:
+            raise unittest.SkipTest('select.poll() is required')
+        telnet._has_poll = True
+        self.dataq.join()
+        data = telnet.read_until('match')
+        self.assertEqual(data, ''.join(want[:-2]))
+
+    def test_read_until_with_select(self):
+        """Use select.select() to implement telnet.read_until()."""
+        want = ['x' * 10, 'match', 'y' * 10, EOF_sigil]
+        self.dataq.put(want)
+        telnet = telnetlib.Telnet(HOST, self.port)
+        telnet._has_poll = False
+        self.dataq.join()
+        data = telnet.read_until('match')
+        self.assertEqual(data, ''.join(want[:-2]))
+
     def test_read_all_A(self):
         """
         read_all()
@@ -357,8 +379,75 @@
         self.assertEqual('', telnet.read_sb_data())
         nego.sb_getter = None # break the nego => telnet cycle
 
+
+class ExpectTests(TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.evt = threading.Event()
+        self.dataq = Queue.Queue()
+        self.sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
+        self.sock.settimeout(10)
+        self.port = test_support.bind_port(self.sock)
+        self.thread = threading.Thread(target=server, args=(self.evt,self.sock,
+                                                            self.dataq))
+        self.thread.start()
+        self.evt.wait()
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        self.thread.join()
+
+    # use a similar approach to testing timeouts as test_timeout.py
+    # these will never pass 100% but make the fuzz big enough that it is rare
+    block_long = 0.6
+    block_short = 0.3
+    def test_expect_A(self):
+        """
+        expect(expected, [timeout])
+          Read until the expected string has been seen, or a timeout is
+          hit (default is no timeout); may block.
+        """
+        want = ['x' * 10, 'match', 'y' * 10, EOF_sigil]
+        self.dataq.put(want)
+        telnet = telnetlib.Telnet(HOST, self.port)
+        self.dataq.join()
+        (_,_,data) = telnet.expect(['match'])
+        self.assertEqual(data, ''.join(want[:-2]))
+
+    def test_expect_B(self):
+        # test the timeout - it does NOT raise socket.timeout
+        want = ['hello', self.block_long, 'not seen', EOF_sigil]
+        self.dataq.put(want)
+        telnet = telnetlib.Telnet(HOST, self.port)
+        self.dataq.join()
+        (_,_,data) = telnet.expect(['not seen'], self.block_short)
+        self.assertEqual(data, want[0])
+        self.assertEqual(telnet.read_all(), 'not seen')
+
+    def test_expect_with_poll(self):
+        """Use select.poll() to implement telnet.expect()."""
+        want = ['x' * 10, 'match', 'y' * 10, EOF_sigil]
+        self.dataq.put(want)
+        telnet = telnetlib.Telnet(HOST, self.port)
+        if not telnet._has_poll:
+            raise unittest.SkipTest('select.poll() is required')
+        telnet._has_poll = True
+        self.dataq.join()
+        (_,_,data) = telnet.expect(['match'])
+        self.assertEqual(data, ''.join(want[:-2]))
+
+    def test_expect_with_select(self):
+        """Use select.select() to implement telnet.expect()."""
+        want = ['x' * 10, 'match', 'y' * 10, EOF_sigil]
+        self.dataq.put(want)
+        telnet = telnetlib.Telnet(HOST, self.port)
+        telnet._has_poll = False
+        self.dataq.join()
+        (_,_,data) = telnet.expect(['match'])
+        self.assertEqual(data, ''.join(want[:-2]))
+
+
 def test_main(verbose=None):
-    test_support.run_unittest(GeneralTests, ReadTests, OptionTests)
+    test_support.run_unittest(GeneralTests, ReadTests, OptionTests,
+                              ExpectTests)
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     test_main()
diff --git a/Misc/ACKS b/Misc/ACKS
index 548279a..471e6a9 100644
--- a/Misc/ACKS
+++ b/Misc/ACKS
@@ -369,6 +369,7 @@
 Albert Hofkamp
 Tomas Hoger
 Jonathan Hogg
+Akintayo Holder
 Gerrit Holl
 Shane Holloway
 Rune Holm
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 52439fe..4b05aa3 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -84,6 +84,9 @@
 Library
 -------
 
+- Issue #14635: telnetlib will use poll() rather than select() when possible
+  to avoid failing due to the select() file descriptor limit.
+
 - Issue #15247: FileIO now raises an error when given a file descriptor
   pointing to a directory.