diff --git a/doc/manual.md b/doc/manual.md
index b3c0fb1a3..125cfab7e 100644
--- a/doc/manual.md
+++ b/doc/manual.md
@@ -137,9 +137,13 @@ Now let's explore the available journal file syntax in detail.
 
 Each journal entry begins with a [simple date](#simple-dates) in
 column 0, followed by three optional fields with spaces between them:
-a status flag (`*` or `!` or nothing), a transaction code (eg a check
-number), and/or a description; then two or more postings (of some
-amount to some account), each on their own line.
+
+- a status flag, which can be empty or `!` or `*` (meaning "uncleared", "pending" and "cleared", or whatever you want)
+- a transaction code (eg a check number),
+- and/or a description
+
+then two or more postings (of some amount to some account), each on
+their own line.
 
 The posting amounts within a transaction must always balance, ie add up to
 0.  You can leave one amount blank and it will be inferred.
@@ -852,7 +856,7 @@ A query term can be any of the following:
 - `date2:PERIODEXPR` - as above, but match secondary dates
 - `tag:NAME[=REGEX]` - match by (exact, case sensitive) [tag](#tags) name, and optionally match the tag value by regular expression. Note `tag:` will match a transaction if it or any its postings have the tag, and will match posting if it or its parent transaction has the tag.
 - `depth:N` - match (or display, depending on command) accounts at or above this [depth](#depth-limiting)
-- `status:1` or `status:0` - match cleared/uncleared transactions
+- `status:1` or `status:0` - match pending/cleared or uncleared transactions respectively
 - `real:1` or `real:0` - match real/virtual-ness
 - `empty:1` or `empty:0` - match if amount is/is not zero
 - `amt:N`, `amt:<N`, `amt:<=N`, `amt:>N`, `amt:>=N` - match postings with a single-commodity
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
index 022c72a0f..b2bb895e6 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
@@ -331,18 +331,18 @@ parseTag s | '=' `elem` s = (n, Just $ tail v)
            | otherwise    = (s, Nothing)
            where (n,v) = break (=='=') s
 
--- | Parse the boolean value part of a "status:" query, allowing "*" as
--- another way to spell True, similar to the journal file format.
+-- -- , treating "*" or "!" as synonyms for "1".
+-- | Parse the boolean value part of a "status:" query.
 parseStatus :: String -> Bool
-parseStatus s = s `elem` (truestrings ++ ["*"])
+parseStatus s = s `elem` (truestrings) -- ++ ["*","!"])
 
--- | Parse the boolean value part of a "status:" query. A true value can
--- be spelled as "1", "t" or "true".
+-- | Parse the boolean value part of a "status:" query. "1" means true,
+-- anything else will be parsed as false without error.
 parseBool :: String -> Bool
 parseBool s = s `elem` truestrings
 
 truestrings :: [String]
-truestrings = ["1","t","true"]
+truestrings = ["1"]
 
 simplifyQuery :: Query -> Query
 simplifyQuery q =
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
index ad15697c9..0705cd2b2 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ reportflags = [
  ,flagReq  ["period","p"]    (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "period" s opts) "PERIODEXP" "set start date, end date, and/or reporting interval all at once (overrides the flags above)"
  ,flagNone ["date2","aux-date"] (setboolopt "date2") "use postings/txns' secondary dates instead"
 
- ,flagNone ["cleared","C"]   (setboolopt "cleared") "include only cleared postings/txns"
+ ,flagNone ["cleared","C"]   (setboolopt "cleared") "include only pending/cleared postings/txns"
  ,flagNone ["uncleared","U"] (setboolopt "uncleared") "include only uncleared postings/txns"
  ,flagNone ["real","R"]      (setboolopt "real") "include only non-virtual postings"
  ,flagReq  ["depth"]         (\s opts -> Right $ setopt "depth" s opts) "N" "hide accounts/postings deeper than N"