--- a/liboctave/dMatrix.cc
+++ b/liboctave/dMatrix.cc
@@ -3204,15 +3204,18 @@
 // the general GEMM operation
 
 Matrix 
-xgemm (bool transa, const Matrix& a, bool transb, const Matrix& b)
+xgemm (const Matrix& a, const Matrix& b, 
+       blas_trans_type transa, blas_trans_type transb)
 {
   Matrix retval;
 
-  octave_idx_type a_nr = transa ? a.cols () : a.rows ();
-  octave_idx_type a_nc = transa ? a.rows () : a.cols ();
-
-  octave_idx_type b_nr = transb ? b.cols () : b.rows ();
-  octave_idx_type b_nc = transb ? b.rows () : b.cols ();
+  bool tra = transa != blas_no_trans, trb = transb != blas_no_trans;
+
+  octave_idx_type a_nr = tra ? a.cols () : a.rows ();
+  octave_idx_type a_nc = tra ? a.rows () : a.cols ();
+
+  octave_idx_type b_nr = trb ? b.cols () : b.rows ();
+  octave_idx_type b_nc = trb ? b.rows () : b.cols ();
 
   if (a_nc != b_nr)
     gripe_nonconformant ("operator *", a_nr, a_nc, b_nr, b_nc);
@@ -3220,16 +3223,16 @@
     {
       if (a_nr == 0 || a_nc == 0 || b_nc == 0)
 	retval = Matrix (a_nr, b_nc, 0.0);
-      else if (a.data () == b.data () && a_nr == b_nc && transa != transb)
+      else if (a.data () == b.data () && a_nr == b_nc && tra != trb)
         {
 	  octave_idx_type lda = a.rows ();
 
           retval = Matrix (a_nr, b_nc);
 	  double *c = retval.fortran_vec ();
 
-          const char *ctransa = get_blas_trans_arg (transa);
+          const char *ctra = get_blas_trans_arg (tra);
           F77_XFCN (dsyrk, DSYRK, (F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 ("U", 1),
-                                   F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (ctransa, 1),
+                                   F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (ctra, 1),
                                    a_nr, a_nc, 1.0,
                                    a.data (), lda, 0.0, c, a_nr
                                    F77_CHAR_ARG_LEN (1)
@@ -3253,8 +3256,8 @@
 		F77_FUNC (xddot, XDDOT) (a_nc, a.data (), 1, b.data (), 1, *c);
 	      else
 		{
-                  const char *ctransa = get_blas_trans_arg (transa);
-		  F77_XFCN (dgemv, DGEMV, (F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (ctransa, 1),
+                  const char *ctra = get_blas_trans_arg (tra);
+		  F77_XFCN (dgemv, DGEMV, (F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (ctra, 1),
 					   lda, tda, 1.0,  a.data (), lda,
 					   b.data (), 1, 0.0, c, 1
 					   F77_CHAR_ARG_LEN (1)));
@@ -3262,18 +3265,18 @@
             }
           else if (a_nr == 1)
             {
-              const char *crevtransb = get_blas_trans_arg (! transb);
-              F77_XFCN (dgemv, DGEMV, (F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (crevtransb, 1),
+              const char *crevtrb = get_blas_trans_arg (! trb);
+              F77_XFCN (dgemv, DGEMV, (F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (crevtrb, 1),
                                        ldb, tdb, 1.0,  b.data (), ldb,
                                        a.data (), 1, 0.0, c, 1
                                        F77_CHAR_ARG_LEN (1)));
             }
 	  else
 	    {
-              const char *ctransa = get_blas_trans_arg (transa);
-              const char *ctransb = get_blas_trans_arg (transb);
-	      F77_XFCN (dgemm, DGEMM, (F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (ctransa, 1),
-				       F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (ctransb, 1),
+              const char *ctra = get_blas_trans_arg (tra);
+              const char *ctrb = get_blas_trans_arg (trb);
+	      F77_XFCN (dgemm, DGEMM, (F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (ctra, 1),
+				       F77_CONST_CHAR_ARG2 (ctrb, 1),
 				       a_nr, b_nc, a_nc, 1.0, a.data (),
 				       lda, b.data (), ldb, 0.0, c, a_nr
 				       F77_CHAR_ARG_LEN (1)
@@ -3288,7 +3291,7 @@
 Matrix
 operator * (const Matrix& a, const Matrix& b)
 {
-  return xgemm (false, a, false, b);
+  return xgemm (a, b);
 }
 
 // FIXME -- it would be nice to share code among the min/max