Evaluate the following (global-set-key (kbd "C-x g neg") "¬") Now use it, and instead of getting neg, you get the error: After 0 kbd macro iterations: user-error: No M-x tags-search or M-x tags-query-replace in progress In GNU Emacs 24.5.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.18.2) of 2015-10-24 on trouble, modified by Debian Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11703000 System Description: Debian GNU/Linux testing (stretch) Configured using: `configure --build x86_64-linux-gnu --prefix=/usr --sharedstatedir=/var/lib --libexecdir=/usr/lib --localstatedir=/var/lib --infodir=/usr/share/info --mandir=/usr/share/man --with-pop=yes --enable-locallisppath=/etc/emacs24:/etc/emacs:/usr/local/share/emacs/24.5/site-lisp:/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp:/usr/share/emacs/24.5/site-lisp:/usr/share/emacs/site-lisp --build x86_64-linux-gnu --prefix=/usr --sharedstatedir=/var/lib --libexecdir=/usr/lib --localstatedir=/var/lib --infodir=/usr/share/info --mandir=/usr/share/man --with-pop=yes --enable-locallisppath=/etc/emacs24:/etc/emacs:/usr/local/share/emacs/24.5/site-lisp:/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp:/usr/share/emacs/24.5/site-lisp:/usr/share/emacs/site-lisp --with-x=yes --with-x-toolkit=gtk3 --with-toolkit-scroll-bars 'CFLAGS=-g -O2 -fstack-protector-strong -Wformat -Werror=format-security -Wall' CPPFLAGS=-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 LDFLAGS=-Wl,-z,relro' Important settings: value of $LANG: en_US.utf8 locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix Major mode: Shell Minor modes in effect: dirtrack-mode: t tooltip-mode: t electric-indent-mode: t mouse-wheel-mode: t file-name-shadow-mode: t global-font-lock-mode: t font-lock-mode: t blink-cursor-mode: t auto-composition-mode: t auto-encryption-mode: t auto-compression-mode: t line-number-mode: t transient-mark-mode: t Recent messages: uncompressing utf-7.el.gz...done Note: file is write protected End of buffer [3 times] Mark set Making completion list... Quit [2 times] Making completion list... Mark set C-c M-w is undefined Mark activated Load-path shadows: /usr/share/emacs/24.5/site-lisp/debian-startup hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/debian-startup /usr/share/emacs24/site-lisp/latex-cjk-thai/thai-word hides /usr/share/emacs/24.5/lisp/language/thai-word Features: (shadow sort gnus-util mail-extr emacsbug message format-spec rfc822 mml mml-sec mm-decode mm-bodies mm-encode mail-parse rfc2231 mailabbrev gmm-utils mailheader sendmail rfc2047 rfc2045 ietf-drums mm-util mail-prsvr mail-utils dired pcmpl-gnu thai-util thai-word jka-compr iso-transl pcmpl-unix rect mule-util ispell misearch multi-isearch help-mode vc-git dirtrack shell pcomplete info package epg-config wheatgrass-theme slime-fancy slime-trace-dialog slime-fontifying-fu slime-package-fu slime-references slime-compiler-notes-tree slime-scratch slime-presentations advice bridge slime-mdot-fu slime-enclosing-context slime-fuzzy slime-fancy-trace slime-fancy-inspector slime-c-p-c slime-editing-commands slime-autodoc eldoc slime-repl elp slime-parse slime byte-opt bytecomp byte-compile cconv derived cl-extra help-fns gud apropos compile etags arc-mode archive-mode noutline outline easy-mmode easymenu pp comint ansi-color ring hyperspec cl-macs thingatpt browse-url cl gv slime-autoloads edmacro kmacro cl-loaddefs cl-lib time-date tooltip electric uniquify ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type mwheel x-win x-dnd tool-bar dnd fontset image regexp-opt fringe tabulated-list newcomment lisp-mode prog-mode register page menu-bar rfn-eshadow timer select scroll-bar mouse jit-lock font-lock syntax facemenu font-core frame cham georgian utf-8-lang misc-lang vietnamese tibetan thai tai-viet lao korean japanese hebrew greek romanian slovak czech european ethiopic indian cyrillic chinese case-table epa-hook jka-cmpr-hook help simple abbrev minibuffer nadvice loaddefs button faces cus-face macroexp files text-properties overlay sha1 md5 base64 format env code-pages mule custom widget hashtable-print-readable backquote make-network-process dbusbind gfilenotify dynamic-setting system-font-setting font-render-setting move-toolbar gtk x-toolkit x multi-tty emacs) Memory information: ((conses 16 538849 23698) (symbols 48 36343 0) (miscs 40 791 842) (strings 32 89094 14725) (string-bytes 1 2124898) (vectors 16 31542) (vector-slots 8 1464374 205774) (floats 8 108 762) (intervals 56 18016 1613) (buffers 960 28) (heap 1024 100326 1595))