diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 6d44519f..8b75a222 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 	regular expression when it matched -- drop this tiny optimization
 	for when opening multiple files.  Instead stop calling malloc().
 	* src/nano.h: Delete a now-unused struct member.
+	* src/global.c (free_list_item): Elide this now too tiny function.
 
 2016-03-01  Benno Schulenberg  <bensberg@justemail.net>
 	* src/rcfile.c (parse_syntax), src/color.c (color_update): Don't
diff --git a/src/global.c b/src/global.c
index 35c91ad6..6c962653 100644
--- a/src/global.c
+++ b/src/global.c
@@ -1623,14 +1623,6 @@ int strtomenu(const char *input)
 
 
 #ifdef DEBUG
-#ifndef DISABLE_COLOR
-void free_list_item(regexlisttype *dropit)
-{
-    free(dropit->full_regex);
-    free(dropit);
-}
-#endif
-
 /* This function is used to gracefully return all the memory we've used.
  * It should be called just before calling exit().  Practically, the
  * only effect is to cause a segmentation fault if the various data
@@ -1684,17 +1676,20 @@ void thanks_for_all_the_fish(void)
 	while (syntaxes->extensions != NULL) {
 	    regexlisttype *bob = syntaxes->extensions;
 	    syntaxes->extensions = bob->next;
-	    free_list_item(bob);
+	    free(bob->full_regex);
+	    free(bob);
 	}
 	while (syntaxes->headers != NULL) {
 	    regexlisttype *bob = syntaxes->headers;
 	    syntaxes->headers = bob->next;
-	    free_list_item(bob);
+	    free(bob->full_regex);
+	    free(bob);
 	}
 	while (syntaxes->magics != NULL) {
 	    regexlisttype *bob = syntaxes->magics;
 	    syntaxes->magics = bob->next;
-	    free_list_item(bob);
+	    free(bob->full_regex);
+	    free(bob);
 	}
 
 	while (syntaxes->color != NULL) {