diff --git a/Lib/distutils/filelist.py b/Lib/distutils/filelist.py
index 6522e69..c92d5fd 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/filelist.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/filelist.py
@@ -302,21 +302,26 @@
         else:
             return pattern
 
+    # ditch start and end characters
+    start, _, end = glob_to_re('_').partition('_')
+
     if pattern:
         pattern_re = glob_to_re(pattern)
+        assert pattern_re.startswith(start) and pattern_re.endswith(end)
     else:
         pattern_re = ''
 
     if prefix is not None:
-        # ditch end of pattern character
-        empty_pattern = glob_to_re('')
-        prefix_re = glob_to_re(prefix)[:-len(empty_pattern)]
+        prefix_re = glob_to_re(prefix)
+        assert prefix_re.startswith(start) and prefix_re.endswith(end)
+        prefix_re = prefix_re[len(start): len(prefix_re) - len(end)]
         sep = os.sep
         if os.sep == '\\':
             sep = r'\\'
-        pattern_re = "^" + sep.join((prefix_re, ".*" + pattern_re))
+        pattern_re = pattern_re[len(start): len(pattern_re) - len(end)]
+        pattern_re = r'%s\A%s%s.*%s%s' % (start, prefix_re, sep, pattern_re, end)
     else:                               # no prefix -- respect anchor flag
         if anchor:
-            pattern_re = "^" + pattern_re
+            pattern_re = r'%s\A%s' % (start, pattern_re[len(start):])
 
     return re.compile(pattern_re)
diff --git a/Lib/distutils/tests/test_filelist.py b/Lib/distutils/tests/test_filelist.py
index 391af3c..c71342d 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/tests/test_filelist.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/tests/test_filelist.py
@@ -51,14 +51,14 @@
 
         for glob, regex in (
             # simple cases
-            ('foo*', r'foo[^%(sep)s]*\Z(?ms)'),
-            ('foo?', r'foo[^%(sep)s]\Z(?ms)'),
-            ('foo??', r'foo[^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s]\Z(?ms)'),
+            ('foo*', r'(?s:foo[^%(sep)s]*)\Z'),
+            ('foo?', r'(?s:foo[^%(sep)s])\Z'),
+            ('foo??', r'(?s:foo[^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s])\Z'),
             # special cases
-            (r'foo\\*', r'foo\\\\[^%(sep)s]*\Z(?ms)'),
-            (r'foo\\\*', r'foo\\\\\\[^%(sep)s]*\Z(?ms)'),
-            ('foo????', r'foo[^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s]\Z(?ms)'),
-            (r'foo\\??', r'foo\\\\[^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s]\Z(?ms)')):
+            (r'foo\\*', r'(?s:foo\\\\[^%(sep)s]*)\Z'),
+            (r'foo\\\*', r'(?s:foo\\\\\\[^%(sep)s]*)\Z'),
+            ('foo????', r'(?s:foo[^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s])\Z'),
+            (r'foo\\??', r'(?s:foo\\\\[^%(sep)s][^%(sep)s])\Z')):
             regex = regex % {'sep': sep}
             self.assertEqual(glob_to_re(glob), regex)
 
diff --git a/Lib/fnmatch.py b/Lib/fnmatch.py
index 07b1229..fd3b514 100644
--- a/Lib/fnmatch.py
+++ b/Lib/fnmatch.py
@@ -106,4 +106,4 @@
                 res = '%s[%s]' % (res, stuff)
         else:
             res = res + re.escape(c)
-    return res + r'\Z(?ms)'
+    return r'(?s:%s)\Z' % res
diff --git a/Lib/http/cookies.py b/Lib/http/cookies.py
index f078da5..be3b080 100644
--- a/Lib/http/cookies.py
+++ b/Lib/http/cookies.py
@@ -458,7 +458,6 @@
 _LegalKeyChars  = r"\w\d!#%&'~_`><@,:/\$\*\+\-\.\^\|\)\(\?\}\{\="
 _LegalValueChars = _LegalKeyChars + r'\[\]'
 _CookiePattern = re.compile(r"""
-    (?x)                           # This is a verbose pattern
     \s*                            # Optional whitespace at start of cookie
     (?P<key>                       # Start of group 'key'
     [""" + _LegalKeyChars + r"""]+?   # Any word of at least one letter
@@ -475,7 +474,7 @@
     )?                             # End of optional value group
     \s*                            # Any number of spaces.
     (\s+|;|$)                      # Ending either at space, semicolon, or EOS.
-    """, re.ASCII)                 # May be removed if safe.
+    """, re.ASCII | re.VERBOSE)    # re.ASCII may be removed if safe.
 
 
 # At long last, here is the cookie class.  Using this class is almost just like
diff --git a/Lib/sre_parse.py b/Lib/sre_parse.py
index d74e93f..4a77f0c 100644
--- a/Lib/sre_parse.py
+++ b/Lib/sre_parse.py
@@ -279,6 +279,9 @@
                 break
             result += c
         return result
+    @property
+    def pos(self):
+        return self.index - len(self.next or '')
     def tell(self):
         return self.index - len(self.next or '')
     def seek(self, index):
@@ -727,8 +730,13 @@
                     state.checklookbehindgroup(condgroup, source)
                 elif char in FLAGS or char == "-":
                     # flags
+                    pos = source.pos
                     flags = _parse_flags(source, state, char)
                     if flags is None:  # global flags
+                        if pos != 3:  # "(?x"
+                            import warnings
+                            warnings.warn('Flags not at the start of the expression',
+                                          DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=7)
                         continue
                     add_flags, del_flags = flags
                     group = None
diff --git a/Lib/test/re_tests.py b/Lib/test/re_tests.py
index d3692f8..a379d33 100755
--- a/Lib/test/re_tests.py
+++ b/Lib/test/re_tests.py
@@ -106,8 +106,8 @@
     ('a.*b', 'acc\nccb', FAIL),
     ('a.{4,5}b', 'acc\nccb', FAIL),
     ('a.b', 'a\rb', SUCCEED, 'found', 'a\rb'),
-    ('a.b(?s)', 'a\nb', SUCCEED, 'found', 'a\nb'),
-    ('a.*(?s)b', 'acc\nccb', SUCCEED, 'found', 'acc\nccb'),
+    ('(?s)a.b', 'a\nb', SUCCEED, 'found', 'a\nb'),
+    ('(?s)a.*b', 'acc\nccb', SUCCEED, 'found', 'acc\nccb'),
     ('(?s)a.{4,5}b', 'acc\nccb', SUCCEED, 'found', 'acc\nccb'),
     ('(?s)a.b', 'a\nb', SUCCEED, 'found', 'a\nb'),
 
@@ -563,7 +563,7 @@
     # Check odd placement of embedded pattern modifiers
 
     # not an error under PCRE/PRE:
-    ('w(?i)', 'W', SUCCEED, 'found', 'W'),
+    ('(?i)w', 'W', SUCCEED, 'found', 'W'),
     # ('w(?i)', 'W', SYNTAX_ERROR),
 
     # Comments using the x embedded pattern modifier
@@ -627,7 +627,7 @@
     # bug 114033: nothing to repeat
     (r'(x?)?', 'x', SUCCEED, 'found', 'x'),
     # bug 115040: rescan if flags are modified inside pattern
-    (r' (?x)foo ', 'foo', SUCCEED, 'found', 'foo'),
+    (r'(?x) foo ', 'foo', SUCCEED, 'found', 'foo'),
     # bug 115618: negative lookahead
     (r'(?<!abc)(d.f)', 'abcdefdof', SUCCEED, 'found', 'dof'),
     # bug 116251: character class bug
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_fnmatch.py b/Lib/test/test_fnmatch.py
index a5f5832..fb74246 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_fnmatch.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_fnmatch.py
@@ -62,14 +62,14 @@
 class TranslateTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_translate(self):
-        self.assertEqual(translate('*'), r'.*\Z(?ms)')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('?'), r'.\Z(?ms)')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('a?b*'), r'a.b.*\Z(?ms)')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('[abc]'), r'[abc]\Z(?ms)')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('[]]'), r'[]]\Z(?ms)')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('[!x]'), r'[^x]\Z(?ms)')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('[^x]'), r'[\^x]\Z(?ms)')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('[x'), r'\[x\Z(?ms)')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('*'), r'(?s:.*)\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('?'), r'(?s:.)\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('a?b*'), r'(?s:a.b.*)\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('[abc]'), r'(?s:[abc])\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('[]]'), r'(?s:[]])\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('[!x]'), r'(?s:[^x])\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('[^x]'), r'(?s:[\^x])\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('[x'), r'(?s:\[x)\Z')
 
 
 class FilterTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pyclbr.py b/Lib/test/test_pyclbr.py
index 06c10c1..2cff1c5 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_pyclbr.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pyclbr.py
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@
         cm('cgi', ignore=('log',))      # set with = in module
         cm('pickle', ignore=('partial',))
         cm('aifc', ignore=('openfp', '_aifc_params'))  # set with = in module
-        cm('sre_parse', ignore=('dump', 'groups')) # from sre_constants import *; property
+        cm('sre_parse', ignore=('dump', 'groups', 'pos')) # from sre_constants import *; property
         cm('pdb')
         cm('pydoc')
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_re.py b/Lib/test/test_re.py
index afe8738..79a7a05 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_re.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_re.py
@@ -1279,6 +1279,9 @@
         self.assertTrue(re.match('(?ixu) ' + upper_char, lower_char))
         self.assertTrue(re.match('(?ixu) ' + lower_char, upper_char))
 
+        with self.assertWarns(DeprecationWarning):
+            self.assertTrue(re.match(upper_char + '(?i)', lower_char))
+
     def test_dollar_matches_twice(self):
         "$ matches the end of string, and just before the terminating \n"
         pattern = re.compile('$')