diff --git a/hornbeam_grammar/src/hornbeam.pest b/hornbeam_grammar/src/hornbeam.pest
index ee171c7..2360878 100644
--- a/hornbeam_grammar/src/hornbeam.pest
+++ b/hornbeam_grammar/src/hornbeam.pest
@@ -125,20 +125,21 @@ lineEnd = _{ ws_nocnl* ~ nlOrEoi ~ (ws_nocnl* ~ NEWLINE)* ~ (ws_nocnl* ~ &EOI)?
 // was: lineEnd = _{ ws_nocnl* ~ nlOrEoi ~ (!EOI ~ ws* ~ nlOrEoi)* }
 
 SingleStringContent = { (!("'" | "\\" | "$") ~ ANY)+ }
-singleString = _{ !("''") ~ "'" ~ (SingleStringContent | SEscape | SInterpol)* ~ "'" }
+singleString = _{ !("''") ~ "'" ~ (SingleStringContent | SEscape | SSimpleVarInterpol | SInterpol)* ~ "'" }
 
 DoubleStringContent = { (!("\"" | "\\" | "$") ~ ANY)+ }
-doubleString = _{ "\"" ~ (DoubleStringContent | SEscape | SInterpol)* ~ "\"" }
+doubleString = _{ "\"" ~ (DoubleStringContent | SEscape | SSimpleVarInterpol | SInterpol)* ~ "\"" }
 
 blockStringStart = _{ "''" ~ NEWLINE ~ PEEK_ALL }
 blockStringEnd = _{ NEWLINE ~ (" " | "\t")* ~ "''" }
 BlockStringContent = { (!(NEWLINE | blockStringEnd | "\\" | "$" | "@") ~ ANY)+ }
 // This rule becomes just \n later on, so it effectively strips leading indentation!
 BlockStringNewline = { !blockStringEnd ~ NEWLINE ~ PEEK_ALL }
-blockString = _{ blockStringStart ~ (BlockStringContent | SEscape | SInterpol | ParameterisedLocalisation | BlockStringNewline)* ~ blockStringEnd }
+blockString = _{ blockStringStart ~ (BlockStringContent | SEscape | SSimpleVarInterpol | SInterpol | ParameterisedLocalisation | BlockStringNewline)* ~ blockStringEnd }
 String = { blockString | singleString | doubleString | ParameterisedLocalisation }
 
 SEscape = { "\\" ~ ("\\" | "'" | "\"" | "$" | "@") }
+SSimpleVarInterpol = { "$" ~ Identifier }
 SInterpol = { "${" ~ ws* ~ Expr ~ ws* ~ "}" }
 
 
diff --git a/hornbeam_grammar/src/parser.rs b/hornbeam_grammar/src/parser.rs
index 1e0f3b9..425c5b1 100644
--- a/hornbeam_grammar/src/parser.rs
+++ b/hornbeam_grammar/src/parser.rs
@@ -205,8 +205,17 @@ impl HornbeamParser {
     fn String(input: Node) -> PCResult<StringExpr> {
         let mut pieces = Vec::new();
         for node in input.into_children() {
+            let loc = nodeloc(&node);
             match node.as_rule() {
                 Rule::SEscape => pieces.push(StringPiece::Literal(HornbeamParser::SEscape(node)?)),
+                Rule::SSimpleVarInterpol => {
+                    let var_identifier =
+                        HornbeamParser::Identifier(node.into_children().single()?)?;
+                    pieces.push(StringPiece::Interpolation(Expression::Variable {
+                        name: var_identifier,
+                        loc,
+                    }));
+                }
                 Rule::SInterpol => pieces.push(StringPiece::Interpolation(HornbeamParser::Expr(
                     node.into_children().single()?,
                 )?)),