diff --git a/z.sh b/z.sh
index 48a1c8c..0e1acf4 100644
--- a/z.sh
+++ b/z.sh
@@ -166,7 +166,6 @@ _z() {
                 return short
             }
             BEGIN {
-                q = substr(q, 2)
                 gsub(" ", ".*", q)
                 hi_rank = ihi_rank = -9999999999
             }