diff --git a/h/out.h b/h/out.h
index 122296f8e..0dffd2908 100644
--- a/h/out.h
+++ b/h/out.h
@@ -100,13 +100,19 @@ struct outname {
 /*
  * structure format strings
  */
+#if 0
+/* The following strings only make sense on 32-bit platforms, so we're going
+ * to try and deprecate them. */
 #define SF_HEAD		"22222244"
 #define SF_SECT		"44444"
 #define SF_RELO		"1124"
 #define SF_NAME		"4224"
+#endif
 
 /*
- * structure sizes (bytes in file; add digits in SF_*)
+ * structure sizes on disk (bytes in file; add digits in SF_*)
+ * Note! These are NOT the sizes in memory (64-bit architectures will have
+ * a different layout).
  */
 #define SZ_HEAD		20
 #define SZ_SECT		20
diff --git a/util/amisc/ashow.c b/util/amisc/ashow.c
index 5f22827ee..809937d71 100644
--- a/util/amisc/ashow.c
+++ b/util/amisc/ashow.c
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ show(headp)
 	/*
 	 * We get all struct outname's and the strings in core first.
 	 */
-	name = (struct outname *) myalloc(headp->oh_nname * SZ_NAME);
+	name = (struct outname *) myalloc(headp->oh_nname * sizeof(struct outname));
 	string = myalloc((unsigned) headp->oh_nchar);
 	rd_name(name, headp->oh_nname);
 	for (np = &name[0]; np < &name[headp->oh_nname]; np++) {