diff --git a/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/args.ctags b/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/args.ctags
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ac767da7bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/args.ctags
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+--sort=no
+--fields=+r
+-G
diff --git a/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/expected.tags b/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/expected.tags
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..76b7064574
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/expected.tags
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+v	input.meson	/^        v = get_option(tuple[0])$/;"	V	roles:def
+v	input.meson	/^                v = run_command($/;"	V	roles:def
+v	input.meson	/^                        v = tuple[2]$/;"	V	roles:def
+v	input.meson	/^                        v = v.to_int()$/;"	V	roles:def
+dynamic_uid_min	input.meson	/^dynamic_uid_min = get_option('dynamic-uid-min')$/;"	V	roles:def
+v_eof	input.meson	/^v_eof=$/;"	V	roles:def
diff --git a/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/input.meson b/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/input.meson
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f17736a9c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Units/parser-meson.r/escape-in-string.d/input.meson
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# -*- Meson -*-
+# Partially taken from meson.build in the source tree of systemd.
+#
+foreach tuple : [['system-alloc-uid-min', 'SYS_UID_MIN', 1],  # Also see login.defs(5).
+                 ['system-uid-max',       'SYS_UID_MAX', 999],
+                 ['system-alloc-gid-min', 'SYS_GID_MIN', 1],
+                 ['system-gid-max',       'SYS_GID_MAX', 999]]
+        v = get_option(tuple[0])
+        if v <= 0
+                v = run_command(
+                        awk,
+                        '/^\s*@0@\s+/ { uid=$2 } END { print uid }'.format(tuple[1]),
+                        '/etc/login.defs',
+                        check : false).stdout().strip()
+                if v == ''
+                        v = tuple[2]
+                else
+                        v = v.to_int()
+                endif
+        endif
+        conf.set(tuple[0].underscorify().to_upper(), v)
+endforeach
+if conf.get('SYSTEM_ALLOC_UID_MIN') >= conf.get('SYSTEM_UID_MAX')
+        error('Invalid uid allocation range')
+endif
+if conf.get('SYSTEM_ALLOC_GID_MIN') >= conf.get('SYSTEM_GID_MAX')
+        error('Invalid gid allocation range')
+endif
+
+dynamic_uid_min = get_option('dynamic-uid-min')
+v_eof=
diff --git a/optlib/meson.c b/optlib/meson.c
index 5b2c352196..583e608d32 100644
--- a/optlib/meson.c
+++ b/optlib/meson.c
@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@ static void initializeMesonParser (const langType language)
 	                               "^test[ \t\n]*\\([ \t\n]*'([^']*[^\\\\])'[ \t\n]*",
 	                               "\\1", "t", "{tenter=skipToArgEnd}", NULL);
 	addLanguageTagMultiTableRegex (language, "main",
-	                               "^([a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z_0-9]*)[ \t\n]*=[ \t\n]*",
-	                               "\\1", "V", "", NULL);
+	                               "^([a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z_0-9]*)[ \t\n]*=([^=]|$)",
+	                               "\\1", "V", "{_advanceTo=2start}", NULL);
 	addLanguageTagMultiTableRegex (language, "main",
 	                               "^.",
 	                               "", "", "", NULL);
@@ -74,14 +74,17 @@ static void initializeMesonParser (const langType language)
 	                               "^.",
 	                               "", "", "", NULL);
 	addLanguageTagMultiTableRegex (language, "string",
-	                               "^\\\\'",
+	                               "^[^\\\\']+",
 	                               "", "", "", NULL);
 	addLanguageTagMultiTableRegex (language, "string",
-	                               "^[^\\\\']+",
+	                               "^\\\\.",
 	                               "", "", "", NULL);
 	addLanguageTagMultiTableRegex (language, "string",
 	                               "^'",
 	                               "", "", "{tleave}", NULL);
+	addLanguageTagMultiTableRegex (language, "string",
+	                               "^.",
+	                               "", "", "", NULL);
 	addLanguageTagMultiTableRegex (language, "comment",
 	                               "^[^\n]+",
 	                               "", "", "", NULL);
diff --git a/optlib/meson.ctags b/optlib/meson.ctags
index 1445362110..9c7e117d37 100644
--- a/optlib/meson.ctags
+++ b/optlib/meson.ctags
@@ -50,9 +50,10 @@
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=comment/[^\n]+//
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=comment/\n//{tleave}
 
---_mtable-regex-Meson=string/\\'//
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=string/[^\\']+//
+--_mtable-regex-Meson=string/\\.//
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=string/'//{tleave}
+--_mtable-regex-Meson=string/.//
 
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=mline_string/'''//{tleave}
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=mline_string/[^']+//
@@ -79,5 +80,5 @@
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=main/project[ \t\n]*\([ \t\n]*'([^']*[^\\])'[ \t\n]*/\1/P/{tenter=skipToArgEnd}
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=main/subdir[ \t\n]*\([ \t\n]*'([^']*[^\\])'[ \t\n]*/\1/S/{tenter=skipToArgEnd}
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=main/test[ \t\n]*\([ \t\n]*'([^']*[^\\])'[ \t\n]*/\1/t/{tenter=skipToArgEnd}
---_mtable-regex-Meson=main/([a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z_0-9]*)[ \t\n]*=[ \t\n]*/\1/V/
+--_mtable-regex-Meson=main/([a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z_0-9]*)[ \t\n]*=([^=]|$)/\1/V/{_advanceTo=2start}
 --_mtable-regex-Meson=main/.//