diff --git a/iii.sh b/iii.sh
index caa8e62..d729a1e 100755
--- a/iii.sh
+++ b/iii.sh
@@ -40,6 +40,13 @@ stty -echonl -echo
 tail -f -n "$h" "$i/$n/$c/out" | while read -r date time nick mesg; do
     case "$nick" in \<*\>) nick="${nick#<}" nick="${nick%>}"; printf '\a' ;; esac
     case "$mesg" in *$u*) date="$(tput setaf $l)$date" ;; esac
+
+    # pretify special symbols around words
+    mesg="$(echo "$mesg" \
+        | sed "s;\(^\|[[:space:]*_]\)/\([^[:space:]]*\)/\([_*[:space:]]\|$\);\1$(tput sitm)\2$(tput ritm)\3;g"  \
+        | sed "s;\(^\|[[:space:]*m]\)_\([^[:space:]]*\)_\([*[:space:]]\|$\);\1$(tput smul)\2$(tput rmul)\3;g" \
+        | sed "s;\(^\|[[:space:]]\)\*\([^[:space:]]*\)\*\([[:space:]]\|$\);\1$(tput bold)\2$(tput sgr0)\3;g")"
+
     # value between 1 and 14 - avoid black and white though there's 7 and 8
     # based on the nick length and ascii code of the nick's first letter
     $r && clr="$(tput setaf $(( ((${#nick} + $(printf "%d" "'$nick")) % 14) + 1)))" || clr="$grn"