diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a1902a195..eafc363c1 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ help helpall::
 helpall::
 	$(info make test-dirty     - check without building first)
 	$(info make compile-dirty  - build only stale Org ELisp files)
-	$(info make compile-single - build using one Emacs process per file)
 	$(info )
 	$(info Compatibility)
 	$(info =============)
diff --git a/default.mk b/default.mk
index 2ac552b1a..8476caec1 100644
--- a/default.mk
+++ b/default.mk
@@ -131,3 +131,10 @@ SUDO	= sudo
 # Name of the program to install info files
 # INSTALL_INFO = ginstall-info # Debian: avoid harmless warning message
 INSTALL_INFO = install-info
+
+# target variant for 'compile'
+# _COMPILE_ = single # one Emacs process per compilation
+# _COMPILE_ = source # ditto, but remove compiled file immediately
+# _COMPILE_ = slint1 # possibly elicit more warnings
+# _COMPILE_ = slint2 # possibly elicit even more warnings
+_COMPILE_ = dirall
diff --git a/lisp/Makefile b/lisp/Makefile
index ee0caaf8f..c547810c7 100644
--- a/lisp/Makefile
+++ b/lisp/Makefile
@@ -7,23 +7,31 @@ endif
 LISPV = org-version.el
 LISPI = org-install.el
 LISPA = $(LISPV) $(LISPI)
-LISPF = $(filter-out $(LISPA),$(wildcard *.el))
+LISPF = $(filter-out $(LISPA),$(sort $(wildcard *.el)))
 LISPC = $(filter-out $(LISPN:%el=%elc),$(LISPF:%el=%elc))
 
-.PHONY:	all compile compile-dirty compile-single \
-		autoloads \
-		install clean cleanauto cleanall clean-install
+.PHONY:	all compile compile-dirty \
+	compile-single compile-source compile-slint1 compile-slint2 \
+	autoloads \
+	install clean cleanauto cleanall cleanelc clean-install
 
 # do not clean here, done in toplevel make
-all compile::	autoloads
-all compile compile-dirty::	 $(LISPI) $(LISPV)
-	$(ELCDIR)
-compile-single: clean autoloads $(LISPC)
-compile-source: clean autoloads
+all compile compile-dirty::	 autoloads
+	$(MAKE) compile-$(_COMPILE_)
+
+compile-dirall:
+	@$(ELCDIR)
+compile-single: $(LISPC)
+compile-source: cleanelc
 	@$(foreach elc,$(LISPC),$(MAKE) $(elc) && $(RM) $(elc);)
+compile-slint1:	compile-dirall
+	@$(foreach elc,$(LISPC),$(RM) $(elc); $(MAKE) $(elc);)
+compile-slint2:
+	$(MAKE) compile-source compile-slint1
 
 %.elc:	%.el
-	-$(ELC) $(<)
+	@$(info Compiling single $(abspath $<)...)
+	-@$(ELC) $<
 
 autoloads:	cleanauto $(LISPI) $(LISPV)
 
@@ -45,7 +53,7 @@ install:	$(LISPF) compile
 
 cleanauto clean cleanall::
 	$(RM) $(LISPA) $(LISPA:%el=%elc)
-clean cleanall::
+clean cleanall cleanelc::
 	$(RM) *.elc
 
 clean-install:
diff --git a/targets.mk b/targets.mk
index 5db69f3c4..a0e47eac6 100644
--- a/targets.mk
+++ b/targets.mk
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ endif
 	cleancontrib cleantesting cleanutils
 	cleanrel clean-install cleanelc cleandirs \
 	cleanlisp cleandoc cleandocs cleantest \
-	compile compile-single compile-source compile-dirty uncompiled \
+	compile compile-dirty uncompiled \
 	config config-test config-exe config-all config-eol
 
 CONF_BASE = EMACS DESTDIR
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ local.mk:
 
 all compile::
 	$(foreach dir, doc lisp, $(MAKE) -C $(dir) clean;)
-compile compile-dirty compile-single compile-source::
+compile compile-dirty::
 	$(MAKE) -C lisp $@
 all clean-install::
 	$(foreach dir, $(SUBDIRS), $(MAKE) -C $(dir) $@;)
@@ -118,26 +118,25 @@ clean:	cleanrel
 	$(MAKE) -C lisp clean
 	$(MAKE) -C doc clean
 
-cleanall: cleandirs cleantest cleancontrib cleantesting cleanutils
+cleanall: cleandirs cleantest
 	-$(FIND) . -name \*~ -o -name \*# -o -name .#\* -exec $(RM) {} \;
+	-$(FIND) contrib testing UTILITIES -name \*~ -o -name \*.elc -exec $(RM) {} \;
 
-cleancontrib:
-	-$(FIND) contrib -name \*~ -o -name \*.elc -exec $(RM) {} \;
+cleancontrib cleantesting cleanUTILITIES:
+	-$(FIND) $(@:clean%=%) -name \*~ -o -name \*.elc -exec $(RM) {} \;
 
-cleantesting:
-	-$(FIND) testing -name \*~ -o -name \*.elc -exec $(RM) {} \;
-
-cleanutils:
-	-$(FIND) UTILITIES -name \*~ -o -name \*.elc -exec $(RM) {} \;
+cleanutils:	cleanUTILITIES
 
 cleanrel:
 	$(RMR) RELEASEDIR
 	$(RMR) org-7.*
 	$(RMR) org-7*zip org-7*tar.gz
 
-cleanelc cleanlisp:
+cleanelc:
+	$(MAKE) -C lisp $@
+
+cleanlisp:
 	$(MAKE) -C lisp clean
-	-$(FIND) lisp -name \*~ -exec $(RM) {} \;
 
 cleandoc cleandocs:
 	$(MAKE) -C doc clean