diff --git a/caching_compiler_test.go b/caching_compiler_test.go
index 7f2c6b1..2be82c1 100644
--- a/caching_compiler_test.go
+++ b/caching_compiler_test.go
@@ -95,6 +95,56 @@ func TestCachingCompile(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestCachingCompile_StringEscapeSemantics(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		expression string
+		value      string
+	}{
+		{name: "single quote", expression: `event.value == 'it\'s'`, value: `it's`},
+		{name: "triple quote", expression: `event.value == """line\nbreak"""`, value: "line\nbreak"},
+		{name: "regex", expression: `event.value.matches("^prefix\\/suffix$")`, value: "prefix/suffix"},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			env := newEnv()
+			input := map[string]any{
+				"event": map[string]any{"value": test.value},
+			}
+
+			directAST, directIssues := env.Compile(test.expression)
+			require.Nil(t, directIssues)
+			directProgram, err := env.Program(directAST)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			direct, _, err := directProgram.Eval(input)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.Equal(t, true, direct.Value())
+
+			cachedAST, cachedIssues, vars := NewCachingCompiler(env, nil).Compile(test.expression)
+			require.Nil(t, cachedIssues)
+			cachedProgram, err := env.Program(cachedAST)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			input[VarPrefix] = vars.Map()
+			cached, _, err := cachedProgram.Eval(input)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			require.Equal(t, direct.Value(), cached.Value())
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCachingCompile_InvalidStringEscape(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, expression := range []string{
+		`event.value == "bad\z"`,
+		`event.value == "trailing\`,
+	} {
+		_, issues, _ := NewCachingCompiler(newEnv(), nil).Compile(expression)
+		require.NotNil(t, issues)
+		require.Error(t, issues.Err())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCachingCompile_IntegerLiteralDedup(t *testing.T) {
 	c := cachingCompiler{env: newEnv()}
 
diff --git a/lift.go b/lift.go
index 2907d86..6deff96 100644
--- a/lift.go
+++ b/lift.go
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ func liftLiterals(expr string) (string, LiftedArgs) {
 		// expression.
 		return expr, nil
 	}
+	if strings.ContainsRune(expr, '\\') {
+		// CEL must decode and validate escape syntax before it can become a variable value.
+		return expr, regularArgMap{}
+	}
 
 	lp := liftParser{expr: expr}
 	return lp.lift()
@@ -302,14 +306,6 @@ func (l *liftParser) consumeString(quoteChar byte) argMapValue {
 	for l.idx < len(l.expr) {
 		char := l.expr[l.idx]
 
-		if char == '\\' && l.idx+1 < len(l.expr) {
-			// Escape sequence: skip the backslash and whatever follows it.
-			// This correctly handles \\, \", \', \n, \t, etc.
-			l.idx += 2
-			length += 2
-			continue
-		}
-
 		if char == quoteChar {
 			// Skip over the end quote.
 			l.idx++
@@ -324,13 +320,6 @@ func (l *liftParser) consumeString(quoteChar byte) argMapValue {
 		length++
 	}
 
-	// this is a grossly invalid expr, eg: `event.data.id == "foo\"`
-	// in this case, we can never parse this string.  we always fix this by treating the last backslash
-	// as a \ literal, innit bruv
-	if length > 0 && offset+length <= len(l.expr) && l.expr[offset+length-1] == quoteChar {
-		length--
-	}
-
 	return argMapValue{offset: offset, length: length}
 }
 
diff --git a/lift_test.go b/lift_test.go
index 79d4f95..18ab02a 100644
--- a/lift_test.go
+++ b/lift_test.go
@@ -174,29 +174,22 @@ func TestLiftLiterals(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			name:        "escaped backslash before closing quote",
-			expr:        `event.name == "foo\\"`,
-			expectedStr: "event.name == vars.a",
-			expectedArgs: map[string]any{
-				"a": `foo\\`,
-			},
+			name:         "escaped backslash before closing quote",
+			expr:         `event.name == "foo\\"`,
+			expectedStr:  `event.name == "foo\\"`,
+			expectedArgs: map[string]any{},
 		},
 		{
-			name:        "escaped backslash before closing quote in compound expression",
-			expr:        `async.data.branch.playgroundId == "oqdqzbuppgbtrljtpbmyi\\" && "team/mly6i259eym3jkyvq6txyciu/repo/qhq2ioy772sqo9sboe48kfwv" == async.data.spaceID`,
-			expectedStr: `async.data.branch.playgroundId == vars.a && vars.b == async.data.spaceID`,
-			expectedArgs: map[string]any{
-				"a": `oqdqzbuppgbtrljtpbmyi\\`,
-				"b": "team/mly6i259eym3jkyvq6txyciu/repo/qhq2ioy772sqo9sboe48kfwv",
-			},
+			name:         "escaped backslash before closing quote in compound expression",
+			expr:         `async.data.branch.playgroundId == "oqdqzbuppgbtrljtpbmyi\\" && "team/mly6i259eym3jkyvq6txyciu/repo/qhq2ioy772sqo9sboe48kfwv" == async.data.spaceID`,
+			expectedStr:  `async.data.branch.playgroundId == "oqdqzbuppgbtrljtpbmyi\\" && "team/mly6i259eym3jkyvq6txyciu/repo/qhq2ioy772sqo9sboe48kfwv" == async.data.spaceID`,
+			expectedArgs: map[string]any{},
 		},
 		{
-			name:        "trailing escaped quote treated as literal backslash",
-			expr:        `event.data.id == "foo\"`,
-			expectedStr: `event.data.id == vars.a`,
-			expectedArgs: map[string]any{
-				"a": `foo\`,
-			},
+			name:         "unterminated escaped quote not lifted",
+			expr:         `event.data.id == "foo\"`,
+			expectedStr:  `event.data.id == "foo\"`,
+			expectedArgs: map[string]any{},
 		},
 	}
 
diff --git a/parser_test.go b/parser_test.go
index a2b57cb..b0a35de 100644
--- a/parser_test.go
+++ b/parser_test.go
@@ -1281,7 +1281,7 @@ func TestParsedCELAST(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Nil(t, iss)
 	require.NotNil(t, ast)
 	require.NotNil(t, args)
-	require.EqualValues(t, map[string]any{"a": `ok\" please`}, args.Map())
+	require.Empty(t, args.Map())
 
 	program, err := env.Program(
 		ast,
@@ -1293,7 +1293,7 @@ func TestParsedCELAST(t *testing.T) {
 		result, _, err := program.Eval(map[string]any{
 			"event": map[string]any{
 				"data": map[string]any{
-					"id": `ok\" please`,
+					"id": `ok" please`,
 				},
 			},
 			"vars": args.Map(),