--- a/src/lex.l
+++ b/src/lex.l
@@ -937,6 +937,11 @@
       past_plot_range = 1;
       return WITH;
     }
+  else if (almost_match ("clear", s))
+    {
+      past_plot_range = 1;
+      return CLEAR;
+    }
   else
     {
       return 0;
@@ -1355,6 +1360,11 @@
 static int
 handle_identifier (char *tok, int next_tok_is_eq)
 {
+// It is almost always an error for an identifier to be followed
+// directly by another identifier.  Special cases are handled below.
+
+  cant_be_identifier = 1;
+
 // If we are expecting a structure element, we just want to return
 // TEXT_ID, which is a string that is also a valid identifier.
 
@@ -1365,8 +1375,8 @@
       TOK_RETURN (TEXT_ID);
     }
 
-// If we have a regular keyword, or a plot STYLE, return it.  STYLE is
-// special only because it can't be followed by an identifier.
+// If we have a regular keyword, or a plot STYLE, return it.  Keywords
+// can be followed by identifiers (TOK_RETURN handles that).
 
   int kw_token = is_keyword (tok);
   if (kw_token)
@@ -1375,7 +1385,6 @@
 	{
 	  current_input_column += yyleng;
 	  quote_is_transpose = 0;
-	  cant_be_identifier = 1;
 	  convert_spaces_to_comma = 1;
 	  return kw_token;
 	}
@@ -1383,7 +1392,7 @@
 	TOK_RETURN (kw_token);
     }
 
-// See if we have a plot keyword (title, using, or with).
+// See if we have a plot keyword (title, using, with, or clear).
 
   int plot_option_kw = is_plot_keyword (tok);
   if (plotting && cant_be_identifier && plot_option_kw)
@@ -1397,11 +1406,6 @@
   if (plotting && ! in_plot_range)
     past_plot_range = 1;
 
-// It is always an error for an identifier to be followed directly by
-// another identifier.
-
-  cant_be_identifier = 1;
-
 // If we are looking at a text style function, set up to gobble its
 // arguments.  These are also reserved words, but only because it
 // would be very difficult to do anything intelligent with them if

--- a/src/parse.y
+++ b/src/parse.y
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
 %token FCN SCREW_TWO
 %token ELLIPSIS
 %token END_OF_INPUT
-%token USING TITLE WITH COLON OPEN_BRACE CLOSE_BRACE
+%token USING TITLE WITH COLON OPEN_BRACE CLOSE_BRACE CLEAR
 
 // Nonterminals we construct.
 %type <tree_type> input
@@ -405,6 +405,12 @@
 		  { $$ = new tree_statement ($1); }
 		| ans_expression
 		  { $$ = new tree_statement ($1); }
+		| PLOT CLEAR
+		  {
+		    symbol_record *sr = lookup_by_name ("clearplot", 0);
+		    tree_identifier *id = new tree_identifier (sr);
+		    $$ = new tree_statement (id);
+		  }
 		;
 
 plot_command	: PLOT plot_command1

--- a/src/pt-plot.cc
+++ b/src/pt-plot.cc
@@ -934,6 +934,7 @@
     style->print_code (os);
 }
 
+int
 subplot_list::print (int ndim, ostrstream& plot_buf)
 {
   int status = 0;
@@ -1037,7 +1038,15 @@
   plot_line_count = 0;
 }
 
-DEFUN ("closeplot", Fcloseplot, Scloseplot, 1, 0,
+DEFUN ("clearplot", Fclearplot, Sclearplot, 0, 0,
+  "clearplot (): clear the plot window")
+{
+  Octave_object retval;
+  send_to_plot_stream ("clear\n");
+  return retval;
+}
+
+DEFUN ("closeplot", Fcloseplot, Scloseplot, 0, 0,
   "closeplot (): close the stream to plotter")
 {
   Octave_object retval;
@@ -1045,7 +1054,7 @@
   return retval;
 }
 
-DEFUN_TEXT ("hold", Fhold, Shold, -1, 1,
+DEFUN_TEXT ("hold", Fhold, Shold, 1, 0,
   "hold [on|off]\n\
 \n\
 determine whether the plot window is cleared before the next line is\n\
@@ -1088,7 +1097,7 @@
   return (double) (! clear_before_plotting);
 }
 
-DEFUN ("purge_tmp_files", Fpurge_tmp_files, Spurge_tmp_files, 5, 1,
+DEFUN ("purge_tmp_files", Fpurge_tmp_files, Spurge_tmp_files, 0, 0,
   "delete temporary data files used for plotting")
 {
   Octave_object retval;
@@ -1096,7 +1105,7 @@
   return retval;
 }
 
-DEFUN_TEXT ("set", Fset, Sset, -1, 1,
+DEFUN_TEXT ("set", Fset, Sset, -1, 0,
   "set [options]\n\
 \n\
 set plotting options")
@@ -1130,7 +1139,7 @@
   return retval;
 }
 
-DEFUN_TEXT ("show", Fshow, Sshow, -1, 1,
+DEFUN_TEXT ("show", Fshow, Sshow, -1, 0,
   "show [options]\n\
 \n\
 show plotting options")