diff --git a/doc/manual/nix-env.xml b/doc/manual/nix-env.xml
index d8b50bf3c..702faa621 100644
--- a/doc/manual/nix-env.xml
+++ b/doc/manual/nix-env.xml
@@ -7,18 +7,14 @@
   <refsynopsisdiv>
     <cmdsynopsis>
       <command>nix-env</command>
-      <group choice='opt' rep='repeat'>
-        <arg><option>--verbose</option></arg>
-        <arg><option>-v</option></arg>
-      </group>
-      <group choice='opt'>
-        <arg><option>--keep-failed</option></arg>
-        <arg><option>-K</option></arg>
-      </group>
+      <arg rep='repeat'><option>--verbose</option></arg>
+      <arg rep='repeat'><option>-v</option></arg>
+      <arg><option>--keep-failed</option></arg>
+      <arg><option>-K</option></arg>
       <arg>
-        <group choice='opt'>
-          <arg><option>--file</option></arg>
-          <arg><option>-f</option></arg>
+        <group choice='req'>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--file</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>-f</option></arg>
         </group>
         <replaceable>path</replaceable>
       </arg>
@@ -76,7 +72,7 @@
       &opt-verbose;
 
       <varlistentry>
-        <term><option>--file</option></term>
+        <term><option>--file</option> / <option>-f</option></term>
         <listitem>
           <para>
             Specifies the Nix expression used by the
@@ -125,8 +121,8 @@
             By default, it points to
             <filename><replaceable>prefix</replaceable>/var/nix/links/current</filename>.
             The <envar>PATH</envar> environment variable should
-            include <filename>~/.nix-userenv</filename> for the use
-            environments to be visible to the user.
+            include <filename>~/.nix-userenv</filename> for the user
+            environment to be visible to the user.
           </para>
         </listitem>
       </varlistentry>
@@ -146,8 +142,9 @@
       <title>Synopsis</title>
       <cmdsynopsis>
         <command>nix-env</command>
-        <group>
-          <arg><option>--install</option></arg>
+        <group choice='req'>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--install</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>-i</option></arg>
         </group>
       </cmdsynopsis>
     </refsection>
diff --git a/doc/manual/nix-store.xml b/doc/manual/nix-store.xml
index cbd38cd23..479c1c3b0 100644
--- a/doc/manual/nix-store.xml
+++ b/doc/manual/nix-store.xml
@@ -7,14 +7,10 @@
   <refsynopsisdiv>
     <cmdsynopsis>
       <command>nix-store</command>
-      <group choice='opt' rep='repeat'>
-        <arg><option>--verbose</option></arg>
-        <arg><option>-v</option></arg>
-      </group>
-      <group choice='opt'>
-        <arg><option>--keep-failed</option></arg>
-        <arg><option>-K</option></arg>
-      </group>
+      <arg rep='repeat'><option>--verbose</option></arg>
+      <arg rep='repeat'><option>-v</option></arg>
+      <arg><option>--keep-failed</option></arg>
+      <arg><option>-K</option></arg>
       <arg choice='plain'><replaceable>operation</replaceable></arg>
       <arg rep='repeat'><replaceable>options</replaceable></arg>
       <arg rep='repeat'><replaceable>arguments</replaceable></arg>
@@ -56,7 +52,7 @@
       &opt-verbose;
 
       <varlistentry>
-        <term><option>--keep-failed</option></term>
+        <term><option>--keep-failed</option> / <option>-K</option></term>
         <listitem>
           <para>
             Specifies that in case of a build failure, the temporary directory
@@ -112,9 +108,9 @@
       <title>Synopsis</title>
       <cmdsynopsis>
         <command>nix-store</command>
-        <group>
-          <arg><option>--realise</option></arg>
-          <arg><option>-r</option></arg>
+        <group choice='req'>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--realise</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>-r</option></arg>
         </group>
         <arg choice='plain' rep='repeat'><replaceable>paths</replaceable></arg>
       </cmdsynopsis>
@@ -160,9 +156,9 @@
       <title>Synopsis</title>
       <cmdsynopsis>
         <command>nix-store</command>
-        <group>
-          <arg><option>--delete</option></arg>
-          <arg><option>-d</option></arg>
+        <group choice='req'>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--delete</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>-d</option></arg>
         </group>
         <arg choice='plain' rep='repeat'><replaceable>paths</replaceable></arg>
       </cmdsynopsis>
@@ -203,22 +199,22 @@
       <title>Synopsis</title>
       <cmdsynopsis>
         <command>nix-store</command>
-        <group>
-          <arg><option>--query</option></arg>
-          <arg><option>-q</option></arg>
+        <group choice='req'>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--query</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>-q</option></arg>
         </group>
-        <group>
-          <group>
-            <arg><option>--list</option></arg>
-            <arg><option>-l</option></arg>
-          </group>
-          <group>
-            <arg><option>--requisites</option></arg>
-            <arg><option>-R</option></arg>
-          </group>
-          <arg><option>--predecessors</option></arg>
-          <arg><option>--graph</option></arg>
+        <group choice='req'>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--list</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>-l</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--requisites</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>-R</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--predecessors</option></arg>
+          <arg choice='plain'><option>--graph</option></arg>
         </group>
+        <arg><option>--normalise</option></arg>
+        <arg><option>-n</option></arg>
+        <arg><option>--force-realise</option></arg>
+        <arg><option>-f</option></arg>
         <arg choice='plain' rep='repeat'><replaceable>args</replaceable></arg>
       </cmdsynopsis>
     </refsection>
@@ -235,13 +231,55 @@
 
     </refsection>
 
+
+    <refsection>
+      <title>Common query options</title>
+
+      <variablelist>
+
+        <varlistentry>
+          <term><option>--normalise</option> / <option>-n</option></term>
+          <listitem>
+            <para>
+              For those queries that take a Nix store expression, this
+              option causes those expressions to be normalised first.
+            </para>
+          </listitem>
+        </varlistentry>
+
+        <varlistentry>
+          <term><option>--force-realise</option> / <option>-f</option></term>
+          <listitem>
+            <para>
+              For those queries that take a Nix store expression, this
+              option causes those expressions to be realised first.
+              This is just a short-cut for the common idiom
+            </para>
+            <screen>
+nix-store --realise /nix/store/bla.store
+x=`nix-store --query --normalise /nix/store/bla.store
+<emphasis>(do something with the path $x</emphasis></screen>
+            <para>
+              which using this flag can be written as
+            </para>
+            <screen>
+x=`nix-store --query --normalise --force-realise /nix/store/bla.store
+<emphasis>(do something with the path $x</emphasis></screen>
+          </listitem>
+        </varlistentry>
+
+      </variablelist>
+        
+    </refsection>
+    
+
     <refsection id='nixref-queries'>
       <title>Queries</title>
             
       <variablelist>
 
         <varlistentry>
-          <term><option>--list</option></term>
+          <term><option>--list</option> / <option>-l</option></term>
           <listitem>
             <para>
               Prints out the <emphasis>output paths</emphasis> of the
@@ -257,7 +295,7 @@
         </varlistentry>
 
         <varlistentry>
-          <term><option>--requisites</option></term>
+          <term><option>--requisites</option> / <option>-R</option></term>
           <listitem>
             <para>
               Prints out the requisite paths of the store expressions
@@ -304,18 +342,6 @@
 
             <variablelist>
 
-              <varlistentry>
-                <term><option>--normalise</option></term>
-                <listitem>
-                  <para>
-                    Causes the requisite paths of the
-                    <emphasis>successor</emphasis> of the given store
-                    expressions to be printed, rather than the
-                    requisite paths of the expressions themselves.
-                  </para>
-                </listitem>
-              </varlistentry>
-
               <varlistentry>
                 <term><option>--exclude-exprs</option></term>
                 <listitem>
@@ -398,9 +424,7 @@
       <title>Synopsis</title>
       <cmdsynopsis>
         <command>nix-store</command>
-        <group>
-          <arg><option>--successor</option></arg>
-        </group>
+        <arg choice='req'><option>--successor</option></arg>
         <arg choice='plain'
         rep='repeat'><replaceable>srcpath</replaceable> <replaceable>sucpath</replaceable></arg>
       </cmdsynopsis>
@@ -432,9 +456,7 @@
       <title>Synopsis</title>
       <cmdsynopsis>
         <command>nix-store</command>
-        <group>
-          <arg><option>--substitute</option></arg>
-        </group>
+        <arg choice='req'><option>--substitute</option></arg>
         <arg choice='plain'
         rep='repeat'><replaceable>srcpath</replaceable> <replaceable>subpath</replaceable></arg>
       </cmdsynopsis>
@@ -466,9 +488,7 @@
       <title>Synopsis</title>
       <cmdsynopsis>
         <command>nix-store</command>
-        <group>
-          <arg><option>--verify</option></arg>
-        </group>
+        <arg choice='req'><option>--verify</option></arg>
       </cmdsynopsis>
     </refsection>
 
diff --git a/doc/manual/opt-verbose.xml b/doc/manual/opt-verbose.xml
index 5a1007a6a..3868acf30 100644
--- a/doc/manual/opt-verbose.xml
+++ b/doc/manual/opt-verbose.xml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <varlistentry>
-  <term><option>--verbose</option></term>
+  <term><option>--verbose</option> / <option>-v</option></term>
   <listitem>
     <para>
       Increases the level of verbosity of diagnostic messages printed
diff --git a/src/nix-store/main.cc b/src/nix-store/main.cc
index 48752c2bf..078618a5d 100644
--- a/src/nix-store/main.cc
+++ b/src/nix-store/main.cc
@@ -61,9 +61,14 @@ static void opAdd(Strings opFlags, Strings opArgs)
 }
 
 
-Path maybeNormalise(const Path & ne, bool normalise)
+Path maybeNormalise(const Path & ne, bool normalise, bool realise)
 {
-    return normalise ? normaliseStoreExpr(ne) : ne;
+    if (realise) {
+        Path ne2 = normaliseStoreExpr(ne);
+        realiseClosure(ne2);
+        return normalise ? ne2 : ne;
+    } else
+        return normalise ? normaliseStoreExpr(ne) : ne;
 }
 
 
@@ -73,6 +78,7 @@ static void opQuery(Strings opFlags, Strings opArgs)
     enum { qList, qRequisites, qPredecessors, qGraph 
     } query = qList;
     bool normalise = false;
+    bool realise = false;
     bool includeExprs = true;
     bool includeSuccessors = false;
 
@@ -83,6 +89,7 @@ static void opQuery(Strings opFlags, Strings opArgs)
         else if (*i == "--predecessors") query = qPredecessors;
         else if (*i == "--graph") query = qGraph;
         else if (*i == "--normalise" || *i == "-n") normalise = true;
+        else if (*i == "--force-realise" || *i == "-f") realise = true;
         else if (*i == "--exclude-exprs") includeExprs = false;
         else if (*i == "--include-successors") includeSuccessors = true;
         else throw UsageError(format("unknown flag `%1%'") % *i);
@@ -94,7 +101,7 @@ static void opQuery(Strings opFlags, Strings opArgs)
                  i != opArgs.end(); i++)
             {
                 StringSet paths = storeExprRoots(
-                    maybeNormalise(checkPath(*i), normalise));
+                    maybeNormalise(checkPath(*i), normalise, realise));
                 for (StringSet::iterator j = paths.begin(); 
                      j != paths.end(); j++)
                     cout << format("%s\n") % *j;
@@ -108,7 +115,7 @@ static void opQuery(Strings opFlags, Strings opArgs)
                  i != opArgs.end(); i++)
             {
                 StringSet paths2 = storeExprRequisites(
-                    maybeNormalise(checkPath(*i), normalise),
+                    maybeNormalise(checkPath(*i), normalise, realise),
                     includeExprs, includeSuccessors);
                 paths.insert(paths2.begin(), paths2.end());
             }
@@ -134,7 +141,7 @@ static void opQuery(Strings opFlags, Strings opArgs)
             PathSet roots;
             for (Strings::iterator i = opArgs.begin();
                  i != opArgs.end(); i++)
-                roots.insert(maybeNormalise(checkPath(*i), normalise));
+                roots.insert(maybeNormalise(checkPath(*i), normalise, realise));
 	    printDotGraph(roots);
             break;
         }