diff --git a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
index 704404926..c6e34f88b 100644
--- a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
@@ -2845,8 +2845,28 @@ int cmMakefile::TryCompile(const char *srcdir, const char *bindir,
   // if cmake args were provided then pass them in
   if (cmakeArgs)
     {
-    // FIXME: Workaround to ignore unused CLI variables until the
-    // 'ArgumentExpansion' test succeeds with CMAKE_STRICT on
+    // FIXME: Workaround to ignore unused CLI variables in try-compile.
+    //
+    // Ideally we should use SetArgs to honor options like --warn-unused-vars.
+    // However, there is a subtle problem when certain arguments are passed to
+    // a macro wrapping around try_compile or try_run that does not escape
+    // semicolons in its parameters but just passes ${ARGV} or ${ARGN}.  In
+    // this case a list argument like "-DVAR=a;b" gets split into multiple
+    // cmake arguments "-DVAR=a" and "b".  Currently SetCacheArgs ignores
+    // argument "b" and uses just "-DVAR=a", leading to a subtle bug in that
+    // the try_compile or try_run does not get the proper value of VAR.  If we
+    // call SetArgs here then it would treat "b" as the source directory and
+    // cause an error such as "The source directory .../CMakeFiles/CMakeTmp/b
+    // does not exist", thus breaking the try_compile or try_run completely.
+    //
+    // Strictly speaking the bug is in the wrapper macro because the CMake
+    // language has always flattened nested lists and the macro should escape
+    // the semicolons in its arguments before forwarding them.  However, this
+    // bug is so subtle that projects typically work anyway, usually because
+    // the value VAR=a is sufficient for the try_compile or try_run to get the
+    // correct result.  Calling SetArgs here would break such projects that
+    // previously built.  Instead we work around the issue by never reporting
+    // unused arguments and ignoring options such as --warn-unused-vars.
     cm.SetWarnUnusedCli(false);
     //cm.SetArgs(*cmakeArgs, true);
 
diff --git a/Tests/ArgumentExpansion/CMakeLists.txt b/Tests/ArgumentExpansion/CMakeLists.txt
index 62017067a..a24636f58 100644
--- a/Tests/ArgumentExpansion/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Tests/ArgumentExpansion/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -16,11 +16,11 @@ function (argument_tester expected expected_len)
             list(GET ARGN ${i} argn_value)
             list(GET ${expected} ${i} expected_value)
 
-            if (NOT ${argn_value} STREQUAL ${expected_value})
+            if (NOT "${argn_value}" STREQUAL "${expected_value}")
                 message(STATUS "Unexpected: Argument ${i} doesn't match")
                 message(STATUS "    Expected: ${expected_value}")
                 message(STATUS "    Received: ${argn_value}")
-            endif (NOT ${argn_value} STREQUAL ${expected_value})
+            endif ()
 
             math(EXPR i "${i} + 1")
         endwhile (i LESS ${argn_len})
@@ -50,10 +50,11 @@ set(nested_list_arg_test
     "${multiple_arg_test}"
     "first arg"
     "second arg")
-message(STATUS "Test: Nested list argument")
-argument_tester(nested_list_arg_test 3 ${nested_list_arg_test})
+message(STATUS "Test: Nested list argument flattens")
+argument_tester(nested_list_arg_test 4 ${nested_list_arg_test})
 
 set(semicolon_arg_test
     "pre\;post")
-message(STATUS "Test: Semicolon argument")
-argument_tester(semicolon_arg_test 1 ${semicolon_arg_test})
+set(semicolon_arg_test_flat "pre;post")
+message(STATUS "Test: Semicolon argument flattens")
+argument_tester(semicolon_arg_test_flat 2 ${semicolon_arg_test})
diff --git a/Tests/CMakeLists.txt b/Tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 02d393bb5..27cff3f8f 100644
--- a/Tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -383,10 +383,8 @@ ${CMake_BINARY_DIR}/bin/cmake -DVERSION=master -P ${CMake_SOURCE_DIR}/Utilities/
     --build-makeprogram ${CMAKE_TEST_MAKEPROGRAM}
     --build-exe-dir "${CMake_BINARY_DIR}/Tests/ArgumentExpansion/bin"
     )
-  IF(CMAKE_STRICT)
-    SET_TESTS_PROPERTIES(ArgumentExpansion PROPERTIES
-      FAIL_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "Unexpected: ")
-  ENDIF(CMAKE_STRICT)
+  SET_TESTS_PROPERTIES(ArgumentExpansion PROPERTIES
+    FAIL_REGULAR_EXPRESSION "Unexpected: ")
   LIST(APPEND TEST_BUILD_DIRS "${CMake_BINARY_DIR}/Tests/ArgumentExpansion")
 
   ADD_TEST(CustomCommand  ${CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND}