diff --git a/project.clj b/project.clj
index b04e9e8..a782880 100644
--- a/project.clj
+++ b/project.clj
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@
   :target-path "target/%s"
 
   :dependencies [[org.clojure/clojure "1.10.0"]
-                 [org.clojure/clojurescript "1.10.520"]]
+                 [org.clojure/clojurescript "1.10.520"]
+                 [instaparse "1.4.10"]]
   :plugins [[lein-doo "0.1.10"]]
   :cljsbuild
   {:builds [{:id "node-test"
diff --git a/src/hopen/renderer/xf.cljc b/src/hopen/renderer/xf.cljc
index f4e27a1..6f1097d 100644
--- a/src/hopen/renderer/xf.cljc
+++ b/src/hopen/renderer/xf.cljc
@@ -14,9 +14,7 @@
                                     (apply f env args)
                                     (if-let [f (get-in env [:bindings f-symb])]
                                       (apply f (mapv f-eval args))
-                                      (throw (#?(:clj  Exception.
-                                                 :cljs js/Error.)
-                                               (str "Function " f-symb " not found in env " env))))))
+                                      (util/throw-exception (str "Function " f-symb " not found in env " env)))))
              :else element))]
    (f-eval element)))
 
diff --git a/src/hopen/syntax/util.cljc b/src/hopen/syntax/util.cljc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e582f75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hopen/syntax/util.cljc
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+(ns hopen.syntax.util
+  (:require [clojure.string :as str]))
+
+(defn re-quote
+  "Escapes characters in the string that are not safe to use in a regex.
+   Function ported to Clojure from https://github.com/google/closure-library/blob/0257667129eded0cb9b86b4701e50c986b5db648/closure/goog/string/string.js#L1016"
+  [s]
+  (-> s
+      (str/replace #"[-()\[\]{}+?*.$\^|,:#<!\\]" #(str "\\" %))
+      (str/replace #"\x08", "\\x08")))
diff --git a/src/hopen/util.cljc b/src/hopen/util.cljc
index 96fbcc9..9a39564 100644
--- a/src/hopen/util.cljc
+++ b/src/hopen/util.cljc
@@ -53,3 +53,7 @@
                     coll))
             [data]
             path)))
+
+(defn throw-exception [message]
+  (throw (#?(:clj  Exception.
+             :cljs js/Error.) message)))
diff --git a/test/hopen/runner.cljs b/test/hopen/runner.cljs
index 4c98f5b..731f3b8 100644
--- a/test/hopen/runner.cljs
+++ b/test/hopen/runner.cljs
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@
              [doo.runner :refer-macros [doo-all-tests doo-tests]]
              [hopen.renderer.xf-test]
              [hopen.syntax.handlebars-test]
+             [hopen.syntax.util-test]
              [hopen.util-test]))
 
 (doo-tests 'hopen.renderer.xf-test
            'hopen.syntax.handlebars-test
+           'hopen.syntax.util-test
            'hopen.util-test)
diff --git a/test/hopen/syntax/util_test.cljc b/test/hopen/syntax/util_test.cljc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c117460
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/hopen/syntax/util_test.cljc
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+(ns hopen.syntax.util-test
+  (:require #?(:clj  [clojure.test :refer [deftest testing is are]]
+               :cljs [cljs.test    :refer [deftest testing is are]
+                      :include-macros true])
+            [hopen.syntax.util :refer [re-quote]]))
+
+(deftest re-quote-test
+  (are [input output]
+    (= (re-quote input) output)
+
+    "bonjour" "bonjour"
+    "{{}}" "\\{\\{\\}\\}"
+    "<%%>" "\\<%%>"))