diff --git a/OnDiskPt/OnDiskWrapper.cpp b/OnDiskPt/OnDiskWrapper.cpp
index 88fb14201..57fae5162 100644
--- a/OnDiskPt/OnDiskWrapper.cpp
+++ b/OnDiskPt/OnDiskWrapper.cpp
@@ -225,8 +225,7 @@ Word *OnDiskWrapper::ConvertFromMoses(const std::vector<Moses::FactorType> &fact
   bool isNonTerminal = origWord.IsNonTerminal();
   Word *newWord = new Word(isNonTerminal);
 
-  string str;
-  util::StringStream strme(str);
+  util::StringStream strme;
 
   size_t factorType = factorsVec[0];
   const Moses::Factor *factor = origWord.GetFactor(factorType);
@@ -246,7 +245,7 @@ Word *OnDiskWrapper::ConvertFromMoses(const std::vector<Moses::FactorType> &fact
   } // for (size_t factorType
 
   bool found;
-  uint64_t vocabId = m_vocab.GetVocabId(str, found);
+  uint64_t vocabId = m_vocab.GetVocabId(strme.str(), found);
   if (!found) {
     // factor not in phrase table -> phrse definately not in. exit
     delete newWord;
diff --git a/lm/filter/arpa_io.cc b/lm/filter/arpa_io.cc
index 2cae60f9a..cf2721ed5 100644
--- a/lm/filter/arpa_io.cc
+++ b/lm/filter/arpa_io.cc
@@ -33,10 +33,9 @@ template <class Stream> void WriteCounts(Stream &out, const std::vector<uint64_t
 }
 
 size_t SizeNeededForCounts(const std::vector<uint64_t> &number) {
-  std::string buf;
-  util::StringStream stream(buf);
+  util::StringStream stream;
   WriteCounts(stream, number);
-  return buf.size();
+  return stream.str().size();
 }
 
 bool IsEntirelyWhiteSpace(const StringPiece &line) {
diff --git a/moses/FF/GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited.cpp b/moses/FF/GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited.cpp
index fbbeeda47..15eec019c 100644
--- a/moses/FF/GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited.cpp
+++ b/moses/FF/GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited.cpp
@@ -132,13 +132,12 @@ void GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited::EvaluateWhenApplied(const Hypothesis& cur_hypo
     }
 
     if (m_biasFeature) {
-      string str;
-      util::StringStream feature(str);
+      util::StringStream feature;
       feature << "glm_";
       feature << targetString;
       feature << "~";
       feature << "**BIAS**";
-      accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(str, 1);
+      accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(feature.str(), 1);
     }
 
     boost::unordered_set<uint64_t> alreadyScored;
@@ -167,14 +166,13 @@ void GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited::EvaluateWhenApplied(const Hypothesis& cur_hypo
           if (m_sourceContext) {
             if (sourceIndex == 0) {
               // add <s> trigger feature for source
-              string str;
-              util::StringStream feature(str);
+              util::StringStream feature;
               feature << "glm_";
               feature << targetString;
               feature << "~";
               feature << "<s>,";
               feature << sourceString;
-              accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(str, 1);
+              accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(feature.str(), 1);
               alreadyScored.insert(sourceHash);
             }
 
@@ -186,15 +184,14 @@ void GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited::EvaluateWhenApplied(const Hypothesis& cur_hypo
                 contextExists = FindStringPiece(m_vocabSource, contextString ) != m_vocabSource.end();
 
               if (m_unrestricted || contextExists) {
-                string str;
-                util::StringStream feature(str);
+                util::StringStream feature;
                 feature << "glm_";
                 feature << targetString;
                 feature << "~";
                 feature << sourceString;
                 feature << ",";
                 feature << contextString;
-                accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(str, 1);
+                accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(feature.str(), 1);
                 alreadyScored.insert(sourceHash);
               }
             }
@@ -308,13 +305,12 @@ void GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited::EvaluateWhenApplied(const Hypothesis& cur_hypo
               }
             }
           } else {
-            string str;
-            util::StringStream feature(str);
+            util::StringStream feature;
             feature << "glm_";
             feature << targetString;
             feature << "~";
             feature << sourceString;
-            accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(str, 1);
+            accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(feature.str(), 1);
             alreadyScored.insert(sourceHash);
 
           }
@@ -328,8 +324,7 @@ void GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited::AddFeature(ScoreComponentCollection* accumulat
     StringPiece sourceTrigger, StringPiece sourceWord,
     StringPiece targetTrigger, StringPiece targetWord) const
 {
-  string str;
-  util::StringStream feature(str);
+  util::StringStream feature;
   feature << "glm_";
   feature << targetTrigger;
   feature << ",";
@@ -338,7 +333,7 @@ void GlobalLexicalModelUnlimited::AddFeature(ScoreComponentCollection* accumulat
   feature << sourceTrigger;
   feature << ",";
   feature << sourceWord;
-  accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(str, 1);
+  accumulator->SparsePlusEquals(feature.str(), 1);
 
 }
 
diff --git a/moses/FF/LexicalReordering/SparseReordering.cpp b/moses/FF/LexicalReordering/SparseReordering.cpp
index e027fc4fe..f8416a284 100644
--- a/moses/FF/LexicalReordering/SparseReordering.cpp
+++ b/moses/FF/LexicalReordering/SparseReordering.cpp
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ const std::string& SparseReorderingFeatureKey::Name (const string& wordListId)
 {
   static string kSep = "-";
   static string name;
-  std::string str;
-  util::StringStream buf(str);
+  util::StringStream buf;
   // type side position id word reotype
   if (type == Phrase) {
     buf << "phr";
@@ -56,7 +55,7 @@ const std::string& SparseReorderingFeatureKey::Name (const string& wordListId)
   buf << word->GetString();
   buf << kSep;
   buf << reoType;
-  name = str;
+  name = buf.str();
   return name;
 }
 
@@ -90,10 +89,9 @@ SparseReordering::SparseReordering(const map<string,string>& config, const Lexic
       ReadWeightMap(i->second);
       m_useWeightMap = true;
       for (int reoType=0; reoType<=LRModel::MAX; ++reoType) {
-    	std::string str;
-        util::StringStream buf(str);
+        util::StringStream buf;
         buf << reoType;
-        m_featureMap2.push_back(m_producer->GetFeatureName(str));
+        m_featureMap2.push_back(m_producer->GetFeatureName(buf.str()));
       }
 
     } else if (fields[0] == "phrase") {
diff --git a/moses/FF/PhraseBoundaryFeature.cpp b/moses/FF/PhraseBoundaryFeature.cpp
index 1a127d9e4..b4a00b1ca 100644
--- a/moses/FF/PhraseBoundaryFeature.cpp
+++ b/moses/FF/PhraseBoundaryFeature.cpp
@@ -62,8 +62,7 @@ void PhraseBoundaryFeature::AddFeatures(
   ScoreComponentCollection* scores) const
 {
   for (size_t i = 0; i < factors.size(); ++i) {
-    std::string str;
-    util::StringStream name(str);
+    util::StringStream name;
     name << side << ":";
     name << factors[i];
     name << ":";
diff --git a/moses/FF/PhraseLengthFeature.cpp b/moses/FF/PhraseLengthFeature.cpp
index 55cd2f847..9dbb0235e 100644
--- a/moses/FF/PhraseLengthFeature.cpp
+++ b/moses/FF/PhraseLengthFeature.cpp
@@ -26,16 +26,13 @@ void PhraseLengthFeature::EvaluateInIsolation(const Phrase &source
   size_t sourceLength = source.GetSize();
 
   // create feature names
-  string nameSourceStr;
-  util::StringStream nameSource(nameSourceStr);
+  util::StringStream nameSource;
   nameSource << "s" << sourceLength;
 
-  string nameTargetStr;
-  util::StringStream nameTarget(nameTargetStr);
+  util::StringStream nameTarget;
   nameTarget << "t" << targetLength;
 
-  string nameBothStr;
-  util::StringStream nameBoth(nameBothStr);
+  util::StringStream nameBoth;
   nameBoth << sourceLength << "," << targetLength;
 
   // increase feature counts
diff --git a/moses/FF/PhrasePairFeature.cpp b/moses/FF/PhrasePairFeature.cpp
index 920317c00..d531d9a54 100644
--- a/moses/FF/PhrasePairFeature.cpp
+++ b/moses/FF/PhrasePairFeature.cpp
@@ -127,8 +127,7 @@ void PhrasePairFeature::EvaluateWithSourceContext(const InputType &input
     const bool use_topicid_prob = isnt.GetUseTopicIdAndProb();
 
     // compute pair
-    string pairStr;
-    util::StringStream pair(pairStr);
+    util::StringStream pair;
 
     pair << ReplaceTilde( source.GetWord(0).GetFactor(m_sourceFactorId)->GetString() );
     for (size_t i = 1; i < source.GetSize(); ++i) {
@@ -148,8 +147,7 @@ void PhrasePairFeature::EvaluateWithSourceContext(const InputType &input
       if(use_topicid) {
         // use topicid as trigger
         const long topicid = isnt.GetTopicId();
-        string featureStr;
-        util::StringStream feature(featureStr);
+        util::StringStream feature;
 
         feature << m_description << "_";
         if (topicid == -1)
@@ -164,15 +162,13 @@ void PhrasePairFeature::EvaluateWithSourceContext(const InputType &input
         // use topic probabilities
         const vector<string> &topicid_prob = *(isnt.GetTopicIdAndProb());
         if (atol(topicid_prob[0].c_str()) == -1) {
-          string featureStr;
-          util::StringStream feature(featureStr);
+          util::StringStream feature;
           feature << m_description << "_unk_";
           feature << pair.str();
           scoreBreakdown.SparsePlusEquals(feature.str(), 1);
         } else {
           for (size_t i=0; i+1 < topicid_prob.size(); i+=2) {
-            string featureStr;
-            util::StringStream feature(featureStr);
+            util::StringStream feature;
             feature << m_description << "_";
             feature << topicid_prob[i];
             feature << "_";
@@ -186,8 +182,7 @@ void PhrasePairFeature::EvaluateWithSourceContext(const InputType &input
       const long docid = isnt.GetDocumentId();
       for (set<string>::const_iterator p = m_vocabDomain[docid].begin(); p != m_vocabDomain[docid].end(); ++p) {
         string sourceTrigger = *p;
-        string str;
-        util::StringStream namestr(str);
+        util::StringStream namestr;
         namestr << m_description << "_";
         namestr << sourceTrigger;
         namestr << "_";
@@ -215,8 +210,7 @@ void PhrasePairFeature::EvaluateWithSourceContext(const InputType &input
         sourceTriggerExists = FindStringPiece(m_vocabSource, sourceTrigger ) != m_vocabSource.end();
 
       if (m_unrestricted || sourceTriggerExists) {
-        string str;
-        util::StringStream namestr(str);
+        util::StringStream namestr;
         namestr << m_description << "_";
         namestr << sourceTrigger;
         namestr << "~";
@@ -246,8 +240,7 @@ void PhrasePairFeature::EvaluateInIsolation(const Phrase &source
     , ScoreComponentCollection &estimatedFutureScore) const
 {
   if (m_simple) {
-    string str;
-    util::StringStream namestr(str);
+    util::StringStream namestr;
     namestr << m_description << "_";
     namestr << ReplaceTilde( source.GetWord(0).GetFactor(m_sourceFactorId)->GetString() );
     for (size_t i = 1; i < source.GetSize(); ++i) {
diff --git a/moses/FF/RulePairUnlexicalizedSource.cpp b/moses/FF/RulePairUnlexicalizedSource.cpp
index e82f1cd2a..fe1a4f648 100644
--- a/moses/FF/RulePairUnlexicalizedSource.cpp
+++ b/moses/FF/RulePairUnlexicalizedSource.cpp
@@ -58,8 +58,7 @@ void RulePairUnlexicalizedSource::EvaluateInIsolation(const Phrase &source
     }
   }
 
-  string str;
-  util::StringStream namestr(str);
+  util::StringStream namestr;
 
   for (size_t posT=0; posT<targetPhrase.GetSize(); ++posT) {
     const Word &wordT = targetPhrase.GetWord(posT);
diff --git a/moses/FeatureVector.cpp b/moses/FeatureVector.cpp
index 344b1a8f8..45a198c84 100644
--- a/moses/FeatureVector.cpp
+++ b/moses/FeatureVector.cpp
@@ -205,10 +205,9 @@ void FVector::save(const string& filename) const
 {
   ofstream out(filename.c_str());
   if (!out) {
-    std::string str;
-    util::StringStream msg(str);
+    util::StringStream msg;
     msg << "Unable to open " << filename;
-    throw runtime_error(str);
+    throw runtime_error(msg.str());
   }
   write(out);
   out.close();
diff --git a/moses/GenerationDictionary.cpp b/moses/GenerationDictionary.cpp
index f4f0dbfd4..40ff28177 100644
--- a/moses/GenerationDictionary.cpp
+++ b/moses/GenerationDictionary.cpp
@@ -85,11 +85,10 @@ void GenerationDictionary::Load()
 
     size_t numFeaturesInFile = token.size() - 2;
     if (numFeaturesInFile < numFeatureValuesInConfig) {
-      std::string str;
-      util::StringStream strme(str);
+      util::StringStream strme;
       strme << m_filePath << ":" << lineNum << ": expected " << numFeatureValuesInConfig
             << " feature values, but found " << numFeaturesInFile << "\n";
-      throw str;
+      throw strme.str();
     }
     std::vector<float> scores(numFeatureValuesInConfig, 0.0f);
     for (size_t i = 0; i < numFeatureValuesInConfig; i++)
diff --git a/moses/LM/Ken.cpp b/moses/LM/Ken.cpp
index dba2df30a..f982ffcff 100644
--- a/moses/LM/Ken.cpp
+++ b/moses/LM/Ken.cpp
@@ -488,8 +488,7 @@ LanguageModel *ConstructKenLM(const std::string &lineOrig)
   util::TokenIter<util::SingleCharacter, true> argument(lineOrig, ' ');
   ++argument; // KENLM
 
-  string str;
-  util::StringStream line(str);
+  util::StringStream line;
   line << "KENLM";
 
   for (; argument; ++argument) {
@@ -512,7 +511,7 @@ LanguageModel *ConstructKenLM(const std::string &lineOrig)
     }
   }
 
-  return ConstructKenLM(str, filePath, factorType, lazy);
+  return ConstructKenLM(line.str(), filePath, factorType, lazy);
 }
 
 LanguageModel *ConstructKenLM(const std::string &line, const std::string &file, FactorType factorType, bool lazy)
diff --git a/moses/LM/Remote.cpp b/moses/LM/Remote.cpp
index 93c719c91..4214c3d63 100644
--- a/moses/LM/Remote.cpp
+++ b/moses/LM/Remote.cpp
@@ -97,8 +97,7 @@ LMResult LanguageModelRemote::GetValue(const std::vector<const Word*> &contextFa
   cur->boState = *reinterpret_cast<const State*>(&m_curId);
   ++m_curId;
 
-  std::string out;
-  util::StringStream os(out);
+  util::StringStream os;
   os << "prob ";
   if (event_word == NULL) {
     os << "</s>";
@@ -114,7 +113,7 @@ LMResult LanguageModelRemote::GetValue(const std::vector<const Word*> &contextFa
     }
   }
   os << "\n";
-  write(sock, out.c_str(), out.size());
+  write(sock, os.str().c_str(), os.str().size());
   char res[6];
   int r = read(sock, res, 6);
   int errors = 0;
diff --git a/moses/Parameter.cpp b/moses/Parameter.cpp
index eb79f1452..f6058cbd8 100644
--- a/moses/Parameter.cpp
+++ b/moses/Parameter.cpp
@@ -702,8 +702,7 @@ ConvertWeightArgsPhraseModel(const string &oldWeightName)
 
     size_t currOldInd = 0;
     for(size_t currDict = 0 ; currDict < translationVector.size(); currDict++) {
-      string ptLineStr;
-      util::StringStream ptLine(ptLineStr);
+      util::StringStream ptLine;
 
       vector<string> token = Tokenize(translationVector[currDict]);
 
@@ -799,7 +798,7 @@ ConvertWeightArgsPhraseModel(const string &oldWeightName)
         ptLine << "alignment-path=" << token[6] << " ";
       }
 
-      AddFeature(ptLineStr);
+      AddFeature(ptLine.str());
     } // for(size_t currDict = 0 ; currDict < translationVector.size(); currDict++) {
   } // if (GetParam("ttable-file").size() > 0) {
 
@@ -862,8 +861,7 @@ ConvertWeightArgsDistortion()
       }
       SetWeight("LexicalReordering", indTable, weights);
 
-      string str;
-      util::StringStream strme(str);
+      util::StringStream strme;
       strme << "LexicalReordering "
             << "type=" << toks[1] << " ";
 
@@ -877,7 +875,7 @@ ConvertWeightArgsDistortion()
       strme << "num-features=" << toks[2] << " ";
       strme << "path=" << toks[3];
 
-      AddFeature(str);
+      AddFeature(strme.str());
     }
   }
 
@@ -1010,14 +1008,13 @@ ConvertWeightArgsGeneration(const std::string &oldWeightName, const std::string
       }
       SetWeight(newWeightName, indTable, weights);
 
-      string str;
-      util::StringStream strme(str);
+      util::StringStream strme;
       strme << "Generation "
             << "input-factor=" << modelToks[0] << " "
             << "output-factor=" << modelToks[1] << " "
             << "num-features=" << modelToks[2] << " "
             << "path=" << modelToks[3];
-      AddFeature(str);
+      AddFeature(strme.str());
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/moses/Phrase.cpp b/moses/Phrase.cpp
index f7400515a..e47e0b4b9 100644
--- a/moses/Phrase.cpp
+++ b/moses/Phrase.cpp
@@ -118,8 +118,7 @@ std::string Phrase::GetStringRep(const vector<FactorType> factorsToPrint) const
 {
   bool markUnknown = StaticData::Instance().GetMarkUnknown();
 
-  string str;
-  util::StringStream strme(str);
+  util::StringStream strme;
   for (size_t pos = 0 ; pos < GetSize() ; pos++) {
     if (markUnknown && GetWord(pos).IsOOV()) {
       strme << StaticData::Instance().GetUnknownWordPrefix();
@@ -130,7 +129,7 @@ std::string Phrase::GetStringRep(const vector<FactorType> factorsToPrint) const
     }
   }
 
-  return str;
+  return strme.str();
 }
 
 Word &Phrase::AddWord()
diff --git a/moses/StaticData.cpp b/moses/StaticData.cpp
index d05917740..341e4d0cc 100644
--- a/moses/StaticData.cpp
+++ b/moses/StaticData.cpp
@@ -640,21 +640,19 @@ void StaticData::LoadDecodeGraphsOld(const vector<string> &mappingVector, const
     switch (decodeType) {
     case Translate:
       if(index>=pts.size()) {
-    	string str;
-        util::StringStream strme(str);
+        util::StringStream strme;
         strme << "No phrase dictionary with index "
               << index << " available!";
-        UTIL_THROW(util::Exception, str);
+        UTIL_THROW(util::Exception, strme.str());
       }
       decodeStep = new DecodeStepTranslation(pts[index], prev, *featuresRemaining);
       break;
     case Generate:
       if(index>=gens.size()) {
-      	string str;
-        util::StringStream strme(str);
+        util::StringStream strme;
         strme << "No generation dictionary with index "
               << index << " available!";
-        UTIL_THROW(util::Exception, str);
+        UTIL_THROW(util::Exception, strme.str());
       }
       decodeStep = new DecodeStepGeneration(gens[index], prev, *featuresRemaining);
       break;
diff --git a/moses/Syntax/F2S/GlueRuleSynthesizer.cpp b/moses/Syntax/F2S/GlueRuleSynthesizer.cpp
index a181d0b9e..1e00c594a 100644
--- a/moses/Syntax/F2S/GlueRuleSynthesizer.cpp
+++ b/moses/Syntax/F2S/GlueRuleSynthesizer.cpp
@@ -56,8 +56,7 @@ TargetPhrase *GlueRuleSynthesizer::SynthesizeTargetPhrase(
 
   TargetPhrase *targetPhrase = new TargetPhrase();
 
-  std::string alignmentSSStr;
-  util::StringStream alignmentSS(alignmentSSStr);
+  util::StringStream alignmentSS;
   for (std::size_t i = 0; i < e.tail.size(); ++i) {
     const Word &symbol = e.tail[i]->pvertex.symbol;
     if (symbol.IsNonTerminal()) {
@@ -77,7 +76,7 @@ TargetPhrase *GlueRuleSynthesizer::SynthesizeTargetPhrase(
   targetPhrase->EvaluateInIsolation(m_dummySourcePhrase);
   Word *targetLhs = new Word(staticData.GetOutputDefaultNonTerminal());
   targetPhrase->SetTargetLHS(targetLhs);
-  targetPhrase->SetAlignmentInfo(alignmentSSStr);
+  targetPhrase->SetAlignmentInfo(alignmentSS.str());
 
   return targetPhrase;
 }
diff --git a/moses/Syntax/T2S/GlueRuleSynthesizer.cpp b/moses/Syntax/T2S/GlueRuleSynthesizer.cpp
index 4fed9e9ab..0a0c07eea 100644
--- a/moses/Syntax/T2S/GlueRuleSynthesizer.cpp
+++ b/moses/Syntax/T2S/GlueRuleSynthesizer.cpp
@@ -47,8 +47,7 @@ TargetPhrase *GlueRuleSynthesizer::SynthesizeTargetPhrase(
 
   TargetPhrase *targetPhrase = new TargetPhrase();
 
-  std::string alignmentSSStr;
-  util::StringStream alignmentSS(alignmentSSStr);
+  util::StringStream alignmentSS;
   for (std::size_t i = 0; i < node.children.size(); ++i) {
     const Word &symbol = node.children[i]->pvertex.symbol;
     if (symbol.IsNonTerminal()) {
@@ -68,7 +67,7 @@ TargetPhrase *GlueRuleSynthesizer::SynthesizeTargetPhrase(
   targetPhrase->EvaluateInIsolation(sourceRhs);
   Word *targetLhs = new Word(staticData.GetOutputDefaultNonTerminal());
   targetPhrase->SetTargetLHS(targetLhs);
-  targetPhrase->SetAlignmentInfo(alignmentSSStr);
+  targetPhrase->SetAlignmentInfo(alignmentSS.str());
 
   return targetPhrase;
 }
diff --git a/moses/TranslationAnalysis.cpp b/moses/TranslationAnalysis.cpp
index e01bc71e5..ebca957ce 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationAnalysis.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationAnalysis.cpp
@@ -41,11 +41,9 @@ void PrintTranslationAnalysis(std::ostream &os, const Hypothesis* hypo)
   if (doLMStats)
     lmAcc.resize((*tpi)->GetLMStats()->size(), 0);
   for (; tpi != translationPath.end(); ++tpi) {
-	std::string smsStr;
-    util::StringStream sms(smsStr);
+    util::StringStream sms;
 
-    std::string tmsStr;
-    util::StringStream tms(tmsStr);
+    util::StringStream tms;
     std::string target = (*tpi)->GetTargetPhraseStringRep();
     std::string source = (*tpi)->GetSourcePhraseStringRep();
     WordsRange twr = (*tpi)->GetCurrTargetWordsRange();
@@ -93,8 +91,8 @@ void PrintTranslationAnalysis(std::ostream &os, const Hypothesis* hypo)
     for (; swr_i <= swr.GetEndPos() && swr.GetEndPos() != NOT_FOUND; swr_i++) {
       tms << '-' << swr_i;
     }
-    if (!epsilon) targetMap.push_back(smsStr);
-    sourceMap.push_back(tmsStr);
+    if (!epsilon) targetMap.push_back(sms.str());
+    sourceMap.push_back(tms.str());
   }
   std::vector<std::string>::iterator si = sourceMap.begin();
   std::vector<std::string>::iterator ti = targetMap.begin();
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/CompactPT/BlockHashIndex.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/CompactPT/BlockHashIndex.cpp
index bec411d5a..4130bd6a4 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/CompactPT/BlockHashIndex.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/CompactPT/BlockHashIndex.cpp
@@ -368,12 +368,11 @@ void BlockHashIndex::CalcHash(size_t current, void* source_void)
 
     if(lastKey > temp) {
       if(source->nkeys != 2 || temp != "###DUMMY_KEY###") {
-   	    std::string str;
-        util::StringStream strme(str);
+        util::StringStream strme;
         strme << "ERROR: Input file does not appear to be sorted with  LC_ALL=C sort\n";
         strme << "1: " << lastKey << "\n";
         strme << "2: " << temp << "\n";
-        UTIL_THROW2(str);
+        UTIL_THROW2(strme.str());
       }
     }
     lastKey = temp;
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/CompactPT/BlockHashIndex.h b/moses/TranslationModel/CompactPT/BlockHashIndex.h
index 85cc4e550..3de46272a 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/CompactPT/BlockHashIndex.h
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/CompactPT/BlockHashIndex.h
@@ -146,12 +146,11 @@ public:
     size_t current = m_landmarks.size();
 
     if(m_landmarks.size() && m_landmarks.back().str() >= keys[0]) {
-  	  std::string str;
-      util::StringStream strme(str);
+      util::StringStream strme;
       strme << "ERROR: Input file does not appear to be sorted with  LC_ALL=C sort\n";
       strme << "1: " << m_landmarks.back().str() << "\n";
       strme << "2: " << keys[0] << "\n";
-      UTIL_THROW2(str);
+      UTIL_THROW2(strme.str());
     }
 
     m_landmarks.push_back(keys[0]);
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMultiModel.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMultiModel.cpp
index 209425f07..b877bb04d 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMultiModel.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMultiModel.cpp
@@ -39,10 +39,9 @@ PhraseDictionaryMultiModel::PhraseDictionaryMultiModel(const std::string &line)
   } else if (m_mode == "all" || m_mode == "all-restrict") {
     UTIL_THROW2("Implementation has moved: use PhraseDictionaryGroup with restrict=true/false");
   } else {
-	string str;
-    util::StringStream msg(str);
+    util::StringStream msg;
     msg << "combination mode unknown: " << m_mode;
-    throw runtime_error(str);
+    throw runtime_error(msg.str());
   }
 }
 
@@ -212,10 +211,9 @@ std::vector<std::vector<float> > PhraseDictionaryMultiModel::getWeights(size_t n
       raw_weights.push_back(1.0/m_numModels); //uniform weights created online
     }
   } else if(weights_ptr->size() != m_numModels && weights_ptr->size() != m_numModels * numWeights) {
-	string str;
-	util::StringStream strme(str);
+	util::StringStream strme;
     strme << "Must have either one multimodel weight per model (" << m_numModels << "), or one per weighted feature and model (" << numWeights << "*" << m_numModels << "). You have " << weights_ptr->size() << ".";
-    UTIL_THROW(util::Exception, str);
+    UTIL_THROW(util::Exception, strme.str());
   } else {
     raw_weights = *weights_ptr;
   }
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMultiModelCounts.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMultiModelCounts.cpp
index 50edaf2c7..b4ed1bf73 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMultiModelCounts.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMultiModelCounts.cpp
@@ -57,10 +57,9 @@ void PhraseDictionaryMultiModelCounts::SetParameter(const std::string& key, cons
     else if (m_mode == "interpolate")
       m_combineFunction = LinearInterpolationFromCounts;
     else {
-	  string str;
-	  util::StringStream msg(str);
+	  util::StringStream msg;
       msg << "combination mode unknown: " << m_mode;
-      throw runtime_error(str);
+      throw runtime_error(msg.str());
     }
   } else if (key == "lex-e2f") {
     m_lexE2FStr = Tokenize(value, ",");
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryTreeAdaptor.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryTreeAdaptor.cpp
index e7e5ff377..f0c744155 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryTreeAdaptor.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryTreeAdaptor.cpp
@@ -53,8 +53,7 @@ void PhraseDictionaryTreeAdaptor::InitializeForInput(ttasksptr const& ttask)
 
   vector<float> weight = staticData.GetWeights(this);
   if(m_numScoreComponents!=weight.size()) {
-	string str;
-    util::StringStream strme(str);
+    util::StringStream strme;
     UTIL_THROW2("ERROR: mismatch of number of scaling factors: " << weight.size()
                 << " " << m_numScoreComponents);
   }
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/RuleTable/LoaderStandard.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/RuleTable/LoaderStandard.cpp
index f2a60ea3d..9386f8d81 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/RuleTable/LoaderStandard.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/RuleTable/LoaderStandard.cpp
@@ -126,22 +126,20 @@ void ReformatHieroRule(const string &lineOrig, string &out)
   ReformatHieroRule(1, targetPhraseString, ntAlign);
   ReformateHieroScore(scoreString);
 
-  std::string alignStr;
-  util::StringStream align(alignStr);
+  util::StringStream align;
   map<size_t, pair<size_t, size_t> >::const_iterator iterAlign;
   for (iterAlign = ntAlign.begin(); iterAlign != ntAlign.end(); ++iterAlign) {
     const pair<size_t, size_t> &alignPoint = iterAlign->second;
     align << alignPoint.first << "-" << alignPoint.second << " ";
   }
 
-  std::string str;
-  util::StringStream ret(str);
+  util::StringStream ret;
   ret << sourcePhraseString << " ||| "
       << targetPhraseString << " ||| "
       << scoreString << " ||| "
-      << alignStr;
+      << align.str();
 
-  out = str;
+  out = ret.str();
 }
 
 bool RuleTableLoaderStandard::Load(FormatType format
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/fuzzy-match/SentenceAlignment.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/fuzzy-match/SentenceAlignment.cpp
index c07acc2b9..eabdd8753 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/fuzzy-match/SentenceAlignment.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/fuzzy-match/SentenceAlignment.cpp
@@ -14,13 +14,12 @@ namespace tmmt
 {
 std::string SentenceAlignment::getTargetString(const Vocabulary &vocab) const
 {
-  std::string str;
-  util::StringStream strme(str);
+  util::StringStream strme;
   for (size_t i = 0; i < target.size(); ++i) {
     const WORD &word = vocab.GetWord(target[i]);
     strme << word << " ";
   }
-  return str;
+  return strme.str();
 }
 
 }
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/fuzzy-match/SentenceAlignment.h b/moses/TranslationModel/fuzzy-match/SentenceAlignment.h
index f0118436b..4d6dc430c 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/fuzzy-match/SentenceAlignment.h
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/fuzzy-match/SentenceAlignment.h
@@ -28,13 +28,12 @@ struct SentenceAlignment {
   std::string getTargetString(const Vocabulary &vocab) const;
 
   std::string getAlignmentString() const {
-    std::string str;
-    util::StringStream strme(str);
+    util::StringStream strme;
     for (size_t i = 0; i < alignment.size(); ++i) {
       const std::pair<int,int> &alignPair = alignment[i];
       strme << alignPair.first << "-" << alignPair.second << " ";
     }
-    return str;
+    return strme.str();
   }
 
 };
diff --git a/moses/Word.cpp b/moses/Word.cpp
index e4fb84935..c0041b173 100644
--- a/moses/Word.cpp
+++ b/moses/Word.cpp
@@ -80,8 +80,7 @@ void Word::Merge(const Word &sourceWord)
 
 std::string Word::GetString(const vector<FactorType> factorType,bool endWithBlank) const
 {
-  string str;
-  util::StringStream strme(str);
+  util::StringStream strme;
   const std::string& factorDelimiter = StaticData::Instance().GetFactorDelimiter();
   bool firstPass = true;
   unsigned int stop = min(max_fax(),factorType.size());
@@ -101,7 +100,7 @@ std::string Word::GetString(const vector<FactorType> factorType,bool endWithBlan
     }
   }
   if(endWithBlank) strme << " ";
-  return str;
+  return strme.str();
 }
 
 StringPiece Word::GetString(FactorType factorType) const
diff --git a/util/exception.cc b/util/exception.cc
index e644d2cb7..5ba06f065 100644
--- a/util/exception.cc
+++ b/util/exception.cc
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ void Exception::SetLocation(const char *file, unsigned int line, const char *fun
    */
   std::string old_text;
   std::swap(old_text, what_);
-  StringStream stream(what_);
+  StringStream stream;
+  stream << what_;
   stream << file << ':' << line;
   if (func) stream << " in " << func << " threw ";
   if (child_name) {
diff --git a/util/string_stream.hh b/util/string_stream.hh
index cab072292..6760b58ba 100644
--- a/util/string_stream.hh
+++ b/util/string_stream.hh
@@ -11,9 +11,13 @@ namespace util {
 class StringStream : public FakeOStream<StringStream> {
   public:
     // Semantics: appends to string.  Remember to clear first!
-    explicit StringStream(std::string &out)
-      : out_(out) {}
 
+	explicit StringStream()
+	{}
+	/*
+	explicit StringStream(std::string &out)
+      : out_(out) {}
+	*/
     StringStream &flush() { return *this; }
 
     StringStream &write(const void *data, std::size_t length) {
@@ -39,7 +43,7 @@ class StringStream : public FakeOStream<StringStream> {
     }
 
   private:
-    std::string &out_;
+    std::string out_;
 };
 
 } // namespace
diff --git a/util/string_stream_test.cc b/util/string_stream_test.cc
index 3a7734feb..150c44baa 100644
--- a/util/string_stream_test.cc
+++ b/util/string_stream_test.cc
@@ -11,9 +11,9 @@
 namespace util { namespace {
 
 template <class T> void TestEqual(const T value) {
-  std::string str;
-  StringStream(str) << value;
-  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(boost::lexical_cast<std::string>(value), str);
+  StringStream strme;
+  strme << value;
+  BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(boost::lexical_cast<std::string>(value), strme.str());
 }
 
 template <class T> void TestCorners() {