diff --git a/src/client.cc b/src/client.cc
index 91e2953c..c0c90336 100644
--- a/src/client.cc
+++ b/src/client.cc
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ DisplayLine Client::generate_mode_line() const
     if (context().buffer().is_modified())
         status.push_back({ "[+]", info_face });
     if (m_input_handler.is_recording())
-        status.push_back({ "[recording ("_str + m_input_handler.recording_reg() + ")]", info_face });
+        status.push_back({ "[recording ("_str + StringView{m_input_handler.recording_reg()} + ")]", info_face });
     if (context().buffer().flags() & Buffer::Flags::New)
         status.push_back({ "[new file]", info_face });
     if (context().user_hooks_support().is_disabled())
diff --git a/src/client_manager.cc b/src/client_manager.cc
index 960763e1..66b4bf62 100644
--- a/src/client_manager.cc
+++ b/src/client_manager.cc
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ void ClientManager::ensure_no_client_uses_buffer(Buffer& buffer)
 
         if (client->context().is_editing())
             throw runtime_error("client '" + client->context().name() + "' is inserting in '" +
-                                buffer.display_name() + '\'');
+                                buffer.display_name() + "'");
 
         // change client context to edit the first buffer which is not the
         // specified one. As BufferManager stores buffer according to last
diff --git a/src/command_manager.cc b/src/command_manager.cc
index e3e56cfa..02d95949 100644
--- a/src/command_manager.cc
+++ b/src/command_manager.cc
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ Token parse_percent_token(StringView line, ByteCount& pos)
         String token = get_until_delimiter(line, pos, opening_delimiter,
                                            closing_delimiter);
         if (throw_on_unterminated and pos == length)
-            throw unterminated_string("%" + type_name + opening_delimiter,
+            throw unterminated_string("%" + type_name + StringView{opening_delimiter},
                                       closing_delimiter, 0);
         return {type, token_start, pos, std::move(token)};
     }
diff --git a/src/file.cc b/src/file.cc
index ae298ad2..19ef313a 100644
--- a/src/file.cc
+++ b/src/file.cc
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ String compact_path(StringView filename)
 
     char cwd[1024];
     getcwd(cwd, 1024);
-    String real_cwd = real_path(cwd) + '/';
+    String real_cwd = real_path(cwd) + "/";
     if (prefix_match(real_filename, real_cwd))
         return real_filename.substr(real_cwd.length());
 
diff --git a/src/keys.cc b/src/keys.cc
index 30bdbe41..a726a8c1 100644
--- a/src/keys.cc
+++ b/src/keys.cc
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ String key_to_str(Key key)
     default: break;
     }
     if (named)
-        res = '<' + res + '>';
+        res = StringView{'<'} + res + StringView{'>'};
     return res;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/main.cc b/src/main.cc
index 847c1b2b..c66929aa 100644
--- a/src/main.cc
+++ b/src/main.cc
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ void register_env_vars()
             [](StringView name, const Context& context)
             { auto& sel = context.selections().main();
                 auto beg = sel.min();
-                return to_string(beg.line + 1) + '.' + to_string(beg.column + 1) + '+' +
+                return to_string(beg.line + 1) + "." + to_string(beg.column + 1) + "+" +
                        to_string((int)context.buffer().distance(beg, sel.max())+1); }
         }, {
             "selections_desc",
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ void register_env_vars()
                     auto beg = sel.min();
                     if (not res.empty())
                         res += ':';
-                    res += to_string(beg.line + 1) + '.' + to_string(beg.column + 1) + '+' +
+                    res += to_string(beg.line + 1) + "." + to_string(beg.column + 1) + "+" +
                            to_string((int)context.buffer().distance(beg, sel.max())+1);
                 }
                 return res;
diff --git a/src/string.hh b/src/string.hh
index fa55c2a2..b752d79d 100644
--- a/src/string.hh
+++ b/src/string.hh
@@ -44,13 +44,9 @@ public:
     ByteCount byte_count_to(CharCount count) const { return utf8::advance(begin(), end(), (int)count) - begin(); }
     CharCount char_count_to(ByteCount count) const { return utf8::distance(begin(), begin() + (int)count); }
 
-    String  operator+(const String& other) const { return String{stdstr() + other.stdstr()}; }
     String& operator+=(const String& other) { std::string::operator+=(other); return *this; }
-    String  operator+(const char* other) const { return String{stdstr() + other}; }
     String& operator+=(const char* other) { std::string::operator+=(other); return *this; }
-    String  operator+(char other) const { return String{stdstr() + other}; }
     String& operator+=(char other) { std::string::operator+=(other); return *this; }
-    String  operator+(Codepoint cp) const { String res = *this; utf8::dump(back_inserter(res), cp); return res; }
     String& operator+=(Codepoint cp) { utf8::dump(back_inserter(*this), cp); return *this; }
 
     StringView substr(ByteCount pos, ByteCount length = INT_MAX) const;
@@ -176,34 +172,26 @@ inline StringView String::substr(CharCount pos, CharCount length) const
     return StringView{*this}.substr(pos, length);
 }
 
-inline String operator+(const char* lhs, const String& rhs)
-{
-    return String(lhs) + rhs;
-}
-
-inline String operator+(const std::string& lhs, const String& rhs)
-{
-    return String(lhs) + rhs;
-}
-
-inline String operator+(const String& lhs, const std::string& rhs)
-{
-    return lhs + String(rhs);
-}
-
 inline String& operator+=(String& lhs, StringView rhs)
 {
     lhs.append(rhs.data(), (size_t)(int)rhs.length());
     return lhs;
 }
 
-inline String operator+(const char* lhs, StringView rhs)
+inline String operator+(const String& lhs, const String& rhs)
 {
     String res = lhs;
     res += rhs;
     return res;
 }
 
+inline String operator+(StringView lhs, StringView rhs)
+{
+    String res{lhs.begin(), lhs.end()};
+    res += rhs;
+    return res;
+}
+
 inline String operator+(const String& lhs, StringView rhs)
 {
     String res = lhs;
@@ -218,28 +206,24 @@ inline String operator+(StringView lhs, const String& rhs)
     return res;
 }
 
+inline String operator+(const char* lhs, StringView rhs)
+{
+    return StringView{lhs} + rhs;
+}
+
 inline String operator+(StringView lhs, const char* rhs)
 {
-    String res{lhs.begin(), lhs.end()};
-    res.append(rhs);
-    return res;
+    return lhs + StringView{rhs};
 }
 
-inline String operator+(char lhs, const String& rhs)
+inline String operator+(const char* lhs, const String& rhs)
 {
-    return String(lhs) + rhs;
+    return StringView{lhs} + rhs;
 }
 
-inline String operator+(Codepoint lhs, const String& rhs)
+inline String operator+(const String& lhs, const char* rhs)
 {
-    return String(lhs) + rhs;
-}
-
-inline String operator+(StringView lhs, StringView rhs)
-{
-    String res{lhs.begin(), lhs.end()};
-    res += rhs;
-    return res;
+    return lhs + StringView{rhs};
 }
 
 std::vector<String> split(StringView str, char separator, char escape);