diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 8d19e34..b3daae4 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 
 ## Undetermined
 
+- Breaking change: Give preference to treating special chars in a property
+    as special
+- Feature: Add custom \` operator to allow unambiguous literal sequences
 - Improvements: Performance optimizations
 - Dev testing: Rename test file
 
diff --git a/lib/jsonpath.js b/lib/jsonpath.js
index 1c8d0c3..8ce03ab 100644
--- a/lib/jsonpath.js
+++ b/lib/jsonpath.js
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ JSONPath.prototype._handleCallback = function (fullRetObj, callback, type) {
     }
 };
 
-JSONPath.prototype._trace = function (expr, val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback) {
+JSONPath.prototype._trace = function (expr, val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback, literalPriority) {
     // No expr to follow? return path and value as the result of this trace branch
     var retObj, self = this;
     if (!expr.length) {
@@ -228,12 +228,12 @@ JSONPath.prototype._trace = function (expr, val, path, parent, parentPropName, c
         }
     }
 
-    if (val && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(val, loc)) { // simple case--directly follow property
+    if ((typeof loc !== 'string' || literalPriority) && val && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(val, loc)) { // simple case--directly follow property
         addRet(this._trace(x, val[loc], push(path, loc), val, loc, callback));
     }
     else if (loc === '*') { // all child properties
         this._walk(loc, x, val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback, function (m, l, x, v, p, par, pr, cb) {
-            addRet(self._trace(unshift(m, x), v, p, par, pr, cb));
+            addRet(self._trace(unshift(m, x), v, p, par, pr, cb, true));
         });
     }
     else if (loc === '..') { // all descendent parent properties
@@ -245,13 +245,6 @@ JSONPath.prototype._trace = function (expr, val, path, parent, parentPropName, c
             }
         });
     }
-    else if (loc[0] === '(') { // [(expr)] (dynamic property/index)
-        if (this.currPreventEval) {
-            throw new Error('Eval [(expr)] prevented in JSONPath expression.');
-        }
-        // As this will resolve to a property name (but we don't know it yet), property and parent information is relative to the parent of the property to which this expression will resolve
-        addRet(this._trace(unshift(this._eval(loc, val, path[path.length - 1], path.slice(0, -1), parent, parentPropName), x), val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback));
-    }
     // The parent sel computation is handled in the frame above using the
     // ancestor object of val
     else if (loc === '^') {
@@ -271,6 +264,9 @@ JSONPath.prototype._trace = function (expr, val, path, parent, parentPropName, c
     else if (loc === '$') { // root only
         addRet(this._trace(x, val, path, null, null, callback));
     }
+    else if (/^(-?[0-9]*):(-?[0-9]*):?([0-9]*)$/.test(loc)) { // [start:end:step]  Python slice syntax
+        addRet(this._slice(loc, x, val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback));
+    }
     else if (loc.indexOf('?(') === 0) { // [?(expr)] (filtering)
         if (this.currPreventEval) {
             throw new Error('Eval [?(expr)] prevented in JSONPath expression.');
@@ -281,11 +277,12 @@ JSONPath.prototype._trace = function (expr, val, path, parent, parentPropName, c
             }
         });
     }
-    else if (loc.includes(',')) { // [name1,name2,...]
-        var parts, i;
-        for (parts = loc.split(','), i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
-            addRet(this._trace(unshift(parts[i], x), val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback));
+    else if (loc[0] === '(') { // [(expr)] (dynamic property/index)
+        if (this.currPreventEval) {
+            throw new Error('Eval [(expr)] prevented in JSONPath expression.');
         }
+        // As this will resolve to a property name (but we don't know it yet), property and parent information is relative to the parent of the property to which this expression will resolve
+        addRet(this._trace(unshift(this._eval(loc, val, path[path.length - 1], path.slice(0, -1), parent, parentPropName), x), val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback));
     }
     else if (loc[0] === '@') { // value type: @boolean(), etc.
         var addType = false;
@@ -341,8 +338,18 @@ JSONPath.prototype._trace = function (expr, val, path, parent, parentPropName, c
             return retObj;
         }
     }
-    else if (/^(-?[0-9]*):(-?[0-9]*):?([0-9]*)$/.test(loc)) { // [start:end:step]  Python slice syntax
-        addRet(this._slice(loc, x, val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback));
+    else if (loc[0] === '`' && val && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(val, loc.slice(1))) { // `-escaped property
+        var locProp = loc.slice(1);
+        addRet(this._trace(x, val[locProp], push(path, locProp), val, locProp, callback, true));
+    }
+    else if (loc.includes(',')) { // [name1,name2,...]
+        var parts, i;
+        for (parts = loc.split(','), i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
+            addRet(this._trace(unshift(parts[i], x), val, path, parent, parentPropName, callback));
+        }
+    }
+    else if (!literalPriority && val && Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(val, loc)) { // simple case--directly follow property
+        addRet(this._trace(x, val[loc], push(path, loc), val, loc, callback, true));
     }
 
     // We check the resulting values for parent selections. For parent
@@ -477,7 +484,10 @@ JSONPath.toPathArray = function (expr) {
                     .replace(/[\['](\??\(.*?\))[\]']/g, function ($0, $1) {return '[#' + (subx.push($1) - 1) + ']';})
                     // Escape periods and tildes within properties
                     .replace(/\['([^'\]]*)'\]/g, function ($0, prop) {
-                        return "['" + prop.replace(/\./g, '%@%').replace(/~/g, '%%@@%%') + "']";
+                        return "['" + prop
+                            .replace(/\./g, '%@%')
+                            .replace(/~/g, '%%@@%%') +
+                            "']";
                     })
                     // Properties operator
                     .replace(/~/g, ';~;')
diff --git a/test-helpers/loadTests.js b/test-helpers/loadTests.js
index 2d1357f..21594ca 100644
--- a/test-helpers/loadTests.js
+++ b/test-helpers/loadTests.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
     'test.at_and_dollar.js',
     'test.callback.js',
     'test.custom-properties.js',
+    'test.escaping.js',
     'test.eval.js',
     'test.examples.js',
     'test.intermixed.arr.js',
diff --git a/test/test.at_and_dollar.js b/test/test.at_and_dollar.js
index deb2a73..b8981c0 100644
--- a/test/test.at_and_dollar.js
+++ b/test/test.at_and_dollar.js
@@ -38,10 +38,10 @@ module.exports = testCase({
     'test $ and @': function (test) {
     // ============================================================================
         test.expect(5);
-        test.strictEqual(t1.$, jsonpath({json: t1, path: '$'})[0]);
+        test.strictEqual(t1.$, jsonpath({json: t1, path: '`$'})[0]);
         test.strictEqual(t1.a$a, jsonpath({json: t1, path: 'a$a'})[0]);
-        test.strictEqual(t1['@'], jsonpath({json: t1, path: '@'})[0]);
-        test.strictEqual(t1.$['@'], jsonpath({json: t1, path: '$.$.@'})[0]);
+        test.strictEqual(t1['@'], jsonpath({json: t1, path: '`@'})[0]);
+        test.strictEqual(t1.$['@'], jsonpath({json: t1, path: '$.`$.`@'})[0]);
         test.strictEqual(undefined, jsonpath({json: t1, path: '\\@'})[1]);
 
         test.done();
diff --git a/test/test.escaping.js b/test/test.escaping.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c2e21f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test.escaping.js
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*global require, module*/
+/*eslint-disable quotes*/
+(function () {'use strict';
+
+var jsonpath = require('../'),
+    testCase = require('nodeunit').testCase;
+
+var json = {
+    '*': 'star',
+    'rest': 'rest',
+    'foo': 'bar'
+};
+
+var jsonMissingSpecial = {
+    'rest': 'rest',
+    'foo': 'bar'
+};
+
+module.exports = testCase({
+    'escape *': function (test) {
+        var expected = ['star'];
+        var result = jsonpath({json: json, path: "$['`*']"});
+        test.deepEqual(expected, result);
+
+        expected = [];
+        result = jsonpath({json: jsonMissingSpecial, path: "$['`*']"});
+        test.deepEqual(expected, result);
+
+        expected = ['star', 'rest'];
+        result = jsonpath({json: json, path: "$[`*,rest]"});
+        test.deepEqual(expected, result);
+
+        expected = ['star'];
+        result = jsonpath({json: json, path: "$.`*"});
+        test.deepEqual(expected, result);
+
+        expected = [];
+        result = jsonpath({json: jsonMissingSpecial, path: "$.`*"});
+        test.deepEqual(expected, result);
+
+        expected = ['star', 'rest', 'bar'];
+        result = jsonpath({json: json, path: "$['*']"});
+        test.deepEqual(expected, result);
+
+        expected = ['rest', 'bar'];
+        result = jsonpath({json: jsonMissingSpecial, path: "$['*']"});
+        test.deepEqual(expected, result);
+
+        test.done();
+    }
+});
+}());