diff --git a/t/cleanup_invalid_links.t b/t/cleanup_invalid_links.t
index d8fb839..69efbe8 100755
--- a/t/cleanup_invalid_links.t
+++ b/t/cleanup_invalid_links.t
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ $Stow_Path= '../stow';
 # nothing to clean in a simple tree
 # 
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 1;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg1/bin1/file1');
@@ -41,7 +40,6 @@ is(
 # cleanup a bad link in a simple tree
 # 
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin2');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg2/bin2');
@@ -64,7 +62,6 @@ ok(
 # dont cleanup a bad link not owned by stow
 # 
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin3');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg3/bin3');
diff --git a/t/examples.t b/t/examples.t
index 4a8b9ec..adcaa97 100755
--- a/t/examples.t
+++ b/t/examples.t
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ make_file('stow/emacs/man/man1/emacs.1');
 # stow perl into an empty target
 # 
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('stow/perl/bin');
 make_file('stow/perl/bin/perl');
@@ -70,7 +69,6 @@ ok(
 # stow perl into a non-empty target
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 # clean up previous stow
 remove_link('bin');
@@ -102,7 +100,6 @@ ok(
 # Install perl into an empty target and then install emacs
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 # clean up previous stow
 remove_link('info');
@@ -155,7 +152,6 @@ ok(
 # behaviour is the same as if the empty directory had nothing to do with stow
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('stow/pkg1a/bin1');
 make_dir('stow/pkg1b/bin1');
@@ -178,7 +174,6 @@ ok(
 # directories
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('stow2a/pkg2a/bin2');
 make_file('stow2a/pkg2a/bin2/file2a');
diff --git a/t/foldable.t b/t/foldable.t
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index e4e4fec..171907c
--- a/t/foldable.t
+++ b/t/foldable.t
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ $Stow_Path= '../stow';
 #
 # can fold a simple tree
 #
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg1/bin1/file1');
@@ -37,7 +36,6 @@ is( foldable('bin1'), '../stow/pkg1/bin1' => q(can fold a simple tree) );
 #
 # can't fold an empty directory 
 # 
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg2/bin2');
 make_file('../stow/pkg2/bin2/file2');
@@ -48,7 +46,6 @@ is( foldable('bin2'), '' => q(can't fold an empty directory) );
 #
 # can't fold if dir contains a non-link
 #
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg3/bin3');
 make_file('../stow/pkg3/bin3/file3');
@@ -61,7 +58,6 @@ is( foldable('bin3'), '' => q(can't fold a dir containing non-links) );
 #
 # can't fold if links point to different directories
 #
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin4');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg4a/bin4');
diff --git a/t/stow_contents.t b/t/stow_contents.t
index da0e5eb..7cae0df 100755
--- a/t/stow_contents.t
+++ b/t/stow_contents.t
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ $Stow_Path= '../stow';
 # stow a simple tree minimally
 # 
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg1/bin1/file1');
@@ -42,7 +41,6 @@ is(
 # stow a simple tree into an existing directory
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg2/lib2');
 make_file('../stow/pkg2/lib2/file2');
@@ -59,7 +57,6 @@ is(
 # unfold existing tree 
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg3a/bin3');
 make_file('../stow/pkg3a/bin3/file3a');
@@ -80,7 +77,6 @@ ok(
 # Link to a new  dir conflicts with existing non-dir (can't unfold)
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_file('bin4'); # this is a file but named like a directory
 make_dir('../stow/pkg4/bin4'); 
@@ -95,7 +91,6 @@ like(
 # Target already exists but is not owned by stow
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin5'); 
 make_link('bin5/file5','../../empty');
@@ -110,7 +105,6 @@ like(
 # Replace existing but invalid target 
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_link('file6','../stow/path-does-not-exist');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg6');
@@ -127,7 +121,6 @@ is(
 # (can't unfold)
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin7');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg7a/bin7');
@@ -145,7 +138,6 @@ like(
 # stowing directories named 0
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg8a/0');
 make_file('../stow/pkg8a/0/file8a');
@@ -167,7 +159,6 @@ ok(
 # overriding already stowed documentation
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'override'} = ['man9', 'info9'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg9a/man9/man1');
@@ -189,7 +180,6 @@ ok(
 # deferring to already stowed documentation
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'defer'} = ['man10', 'info10'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg10a/man10/man1');
@@ -215,7 +205,6 @@ ok(
 # Ignore temp files
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'ignore'} = ['~', '\.#.*'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg11/man11/man1');
@@ -238,7 +227,6 @@ ok(
 # stowing links library files
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg12/lib12/');
 make_file('../stow/pkg12/lib12/lib.so');
@@ -257,7 +245,6 @@ ok(
 # unfolding to stow links to library files
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg13a/lib13/');
 make_file('../stow/pkg13a/lib13/liba.so');
diff --git a/t/unstow_contents.t b/t/unstow_contents.t
index 80ae7f4..db4eabf 100755
--- a/t/unstow_contents.t
+++ b/t/unstow_contents.t
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ $Stow_Path= '../stow';
 # 
 
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg1/bin1/file1');
@@ -45,7 +44,6 @@ ok(
 # unstow a simple tree from an existing directory
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('lib2');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg2/lib2');
@@ -63,7 +61,6 @@ ok(
 # fold tree after unstowing
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin3');
 
@@ -87,7 +84,6 @@ ok(
 # existing link is owned by stow but is invalid so it gets removed anyway
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin4');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg4/bin4');
@@ -106,7 +102,6 @@ ok(
 # Existing link is not owned by stow
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg5/bin5');
 make_link('bin5', '../not-stow');
@@ -120,7 +115,6 @@ like(
 # Target already exists, is owned by stow, but points to a different package
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin6');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg6a/bin6');
@@ -142,7 +136,6 @@ ok(
 # Don't unlink anything under the stow directory
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('stow'); # make out stow dir a subdir of target
 $Stow_Path = 'stow';
@@ -169,7 +162,6 @@ ok(
 # Don't unlink any nodes under another stow directory
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('stow'); # make out stow dir a subdir of target
 $Stow_Path = 'stow';
@@ -200,7 +192,6 @@ ok(
 #
 reset_state();
 $Stow_Path = '../stow';
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'override'} = ['man9', 'info9'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg9a/man9/man1');
@@ -222,7 +213,6 @@ ok(
 # deferring to already stowed documentation
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'defer'} = ['man10', 'info10'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg10a/man10/man1');
@@ -254,7 +244,6 @@ ok(
 # Ignore temp files
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'ignore'} = ['~', '\.#.*'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg12/man12/man1');
diff --git a/t/unstow_contents_orig.t b/t/unstow_contents_orig.t
index 52f6a46..a705bc8 100755
--- a/t/unstow_contents_orig.t
+++ b/t/unstow_contents_orig.t
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ $Stow_Path= '../stow';
 # 
 
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg1/bin1');
 make_file('../stow/pkg1/bin1/file1');
@@ -45,7 +44,6 @@ ok(
 # unstow a simple tree from an existing directory
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('lib2');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg2/lib2');
@@ -63,7 +61,6 @@ ok(
 # fold tree after unstowing
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin3');
 
@@ -87,7 +84,6 @@ ok(
 # existing link is owned by stow but is invalid so it gets removed anyway
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin4');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg4/bin4');
@@ -106,7 +102,6 @@ ok(
 # Existing link is not owned by stow
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg5/bin5');
 make_link('bin5', '../not-stow');
@@ -124,7 +119,6 @@ ok(
 # Target already exists, is owned by stow, but points to a different package
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('bin6');
 make_dir('../stow/pkg6a/bin6');
@@ -146,7 +140,6 @@ ok(
 # Don't unlink anything under the stow directory
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('stow'); # make out stow dir a subdir of target
 $Stow_Path = 'stow';
@@ -173,7 +166,6 @@ ok(
 # Don't unlink any nodes under another stow directory
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 
 make_dir('stow'); # make out stow dir a subdir of target
 $Stow_Path = 'stow';
@@ -204,7 +196,6 @@ ok(
 #
 reset_state();
 $Stow_Path = '../stow';
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'override'} = ['man9', 'info9'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg9a/man9/man1');
@@ -226,7 +217,6 @@ ok(
 # deferring to already stowed documentation
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'defer'} = ['man10', 'info10'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg10a/man10/man1');
@@ -258,7 +248,6 @@ ok(
 # Ignore temp files
 #
 reset_state();
-$Option{'verbose'} = 0;
 $Option{'ignore'} = ['~', '\.#.*'];
 
 make_dir('../stow/pkg12/man12/man1');