diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/scrolltextwidget.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/scrolltextwidget.lua
index 93cba83dd..d1cafb597 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/scrolltextwidget.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/scrolltextwidget.lua
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ function ScrollTextWidget:init()
     }
     local horizontal_group = HorizontalGroup:new{}
     table.insert(horizontal_group, self.text_widget)
-    table.insert(horizontal_group, HorizontalSpan:new{self.text_scroll_span})
+    table.insert(horizontal_group, HorizontalSpan:new{width=self.text_scroll_span})
     table.insert(horizontal_group, self.v_scroll_bar)
     self[1] = horizontal_group
     self.dimen = Geom:new(self[1]:getSize())
@@ -62,6 +62,12 @@ function ScrollTextWidget:init()
                     range = function() return self.dimen end,
                 },
             },
+            TapScrollText = { -- allow scrolling with tap
+                GestureRange:new{
+                    ges = "tap",
+                    range = function() return self.dimen end,
+                },
+            },
         }
     end
     if Device:hasKeyboard() or Device:hasKeys() then
@@ -101,10 +107,30 @@ end
 function ScrollTextWidget:onScrollText(arg, ges)
     if ges.direction == "north" then
         self:scrollText(1)
+        return true
     elseif ges.direction == "south" then
         self:scrollText(-1)
+        return true
     end
-    return true
+    -- if swipe west/east, let it propagate up (e.g. for quickdictlookup to
+    -- go to next/prev result)
+end
+
+function ScrollTextWidget:onTapScrollText(arg, ges)
+    -- same tests as done in TextBoxWidget:scrollUp/Down
+    if ges.pos.x < Screen:getWidth()/2 then
+        if self.text_widget.virtual_line_num > 1 then
+            self:scrollText(-1)
+            return true
+        end
+    else
+        if self.text_widget.virtual_line_num + self.text_widget:getVisLineCount() <= #self.text_widget.vertical_string_list then
+            self:scrollText(1)
+            return true
+        end
+    end
+    -- if we couldn't scroll (because we're already at top or bottom),
+    -- let it propagate up (e.g. for quickdictlookup to go to next/prev result)
 end
 
 function ScrollTextWidget:onScrollDown()
diff --git a/frontend/ui/widget/textboxwidget.lua b/frontend/ui/widget/textboxwidget.lua
index 8058c03d3..1f4d53ee0 100644
--- a/frontend/ui/widget/textboxwidget.lua
+++ b/frontend/ui/widget/textboxwidget.lua
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ local Screen = require("device").screen
 local Geom = require("ui/geometry")
 local util = require("util")
 local DEBUG= require("dbg")
+local TimeVal = require("ui/timeval")
 
 local TextBoxWidget = Widget:new{
     text = nil,
@@ -79,8 +80,14 @@ function TextBoxWidget:_evalCharWidthList()
         self.charpos = #self.charlist + 1
     end
     self.char_width_list = {}
+    -- use a cache to avoid many calls to RenderText:sizeUtf8Text()
+    local char_width_cache = {}
     for _, v in ipairs(self.charlist) do
-        local w = RenderText:sizeUtf8Text(0, Screen:getWidth(), self.face, v, true, self.bold).x
+        local w = char_width_cache[v]
+        if w == nil then
+            w = RenderText:sizeUtf8Text(0, Screen:getWidth(), self.face, v, true, self.bold).x
+            char_width_cache[v] = w
+        end
         table.insert(self.char_width_list, {char = v, width = w})
     end
 end
@@ -112,7 +119,9 @@ function TextBoxWidget:_splitCharWidthList()
         else
             -- Backtrack the string until the length fit into one line.
             local c = self.char_width_list[idx].char
-            if util.isSplitable(c) then
+            -- We give next char to isSplitable() for a wiser decision
+            local next_c = idx+1 <= size and self.char_width_list[idx+1].char or nil
+            if util.isSplitable(c, next_c) then
                 cur_line_text = table.concat(self.charlist, "", offset, idx - 1)
                 cur_line_width = cur_line_width - self.char_width_list[idx].width
             else
@@ -122,8 +131,9 @@ function TextBoxWidget:_splitCharWidthList()
                     adjusted_width = adjusted_width - self.char_width_list[adjusted_idx].width
                     if adjusted_idx == 1 then break end
                     adjusted_idx = adjusted_idx - 1
+                    next_c = c
                     c = self.char_width_list[adjusted_idx].char
-                until adjusted_idx > offset and util.isSplitable(c)
+                until adjusted_idx == offset or util.isSplitable(c, next_c)
                 if adjusted_idx == offset then -- a very long english word ocuppying more than one line
                     cur_line_text = table.concat(self.charlist, "", offset, idx - 1)
                     cur_line_width = cur_line_width - self.char_width_list[idx].width
@@ -144,6 +154,12 @@ function TextBoxWidget:_splitCharWidthList()
             idx = idx + 1
             -- FIXME: reuse newline entry
             self.vertical_string_list[ln+1] = {text = "", offset = idx, width = 0}
+        else
+            -- If next char is a space, discard it so it does not become
+            -- an ugly leading space on the next line
+            if idx <= size and self.char_width_list[idx].char == " " then
+                idx = idx + 1
+            end
         end
         ln = ln + 1
         -- Make sure `idx` point to the next char to be processed in the next loop.
@@ -288,6 +304,7 @@ function TextBoxWidget:free()
     end
 end
 
+-- Allow selection of a single word at hold position
 function TextBoxWidget:onHoldWord(callback, ges)
     if not callback then return end
 
@@ -333,4 +350,117 @@ function TextBoxWidget:onHoldWord(callback, ges)
     return
 end
 
+
+-- Allow selection of one or more words (with no visual feedback)
+-- Gestures should be declared in widget using us (e.g dictquicklookup.lua)
+
+-- Constants for which side of a word to find
+local FIND_START = 1
+local FIND_END = 2
+
+function TextBoxWidget:onHoldStartText(_, ges)
+    -- just store hold start position and timestamp, will be used on release
+    self.hold_start_x = ges.pos.x - self.dimen.x
+    self.hold_start_y = ges.pos.y - self.dimen.y
+    self.hold_start_tv = TimeVal.now()
+    return true
+end
+
+function TextBoxWidget:onHoldReleaseText(callback, ges)
+    if not callback then return end
+
+    local hold_end_x = ges.pos.x - self.dimen.x
+    local hold_end_y = ges.pos.y - self.dimen.y
+    local hold_duration = TimeVal.now() - self.hold_start_tv
+    hold_duration = hold_duration.sec + hold_duration.usec/1000000
+
+    -- Swap start and end if needed
+    local x0, y0, x1, y1
+    -- first, sort by y/line_num
+    local start_line_num = math.ceil(self.hold_start_y / self.line_height_px)
+    local end_line_num = math.ceil(hold_end_y / self.line_height_px)
+    if start_line_num < end_line_num then
+        x0, y0 = self.hold_start_x, self.hold_start_y
+        x1, y1 = hold_end_x, hold_end_y
+    elseif start_line_num > end_line_num then
+        x0, y0 = hold_end_x, hold_end_y
+        x1, y1 = self.hold_start_x, self.hold_start_y
+    else -- same line_num : sort by x
+        if self.hold_start_x <= hold_end_x then
+            x0, y0 = self.hold_start_x, self.hold_start_y
+            x1, y1 = hold_end_x, hold_end_y
+        else
+            x0, y0 = hold_end_x, hold_end_y
+            x1, y1 = self.hold_start_x, self.hold_start_y
+        end
+    end
+
+    -- similar code to find start or end is in _findWordEdge() helper
+    local sel_start_idx = self:_findWordEdge(x0, y0, FIND_START)
+    local sel_end_idx = self:_findWordEdge(x1, y1, FIND_END)
+
+    if not sel_start_idx or not sel_end_idx then
+        -- one or both hold points were out of text
+        return true
+    end
+
+    local selected_text = table.concat(self.charlist, "", sel_start_idx, sel_end_idx)
+    DEBUG("onHoldReleaseText (duration:", hold_duration, ") :", sel_start_idx, ">", sel_end_idx, "=", selected_text)
+    callback(selected_text, hold_duration)
+    return true
+end
+
+function TextBoxWidget:_findWordEdge(x, y, side)
+    if side ~= FIND_START and side ~= FIND_END then
+        return
+    end
+    local line_num = math.ceil(y / self.line_height_px) + self.virtual_line_num-1
+    local line = self.vertical_string_list[line_num]
+    if not line then
+        return -- below last line : no selection
+    end
+    local char_start = line.offset
+    local char_end  -- char_end is non-inclusive
+    if line_num >= #self.vertical_string_list then
+        char_end = #self.char_width_list + 1
+    else
+        char_end = self.vertical_string_list[line_num+1].offset
+    end
+    local char_probe_x = 0
+    local idx = char_start
+    local edge_idx = nil
+    -- find which character the touch is holding
+    while idx < char_end do
+        local c = self.char_width_list[idx]
+        char_probe_x = char_probe_x + c.width
+        if char_probe_x > x then
+            -- character found, find which word the character is in, and
+            -- get its start/end idx
+            local words = util.splitToWords(line.text)
+            -- words may contain separators (space, punctuation) : we don't
+            -- discriminate here, it's the caller job to clean what was
+            -- selected
+            local probe_idx = char_start
+            local next_probe_idx
+            for _, w in ipairs(words) do
+                next_probe_idx = probe_idx + #util.splitToChars(w)
+                if idx < next_probe_idx then
+                    if side == FIND_START then
+                        edge_idx = probe_idx
+                    elseif side == FIND_END then
+                        edge_idx = next_probe_idx - 1
+                    end
+                    break
+                end
+                probe_idx = next_probe_idx
+            end
+            if edge_idx then
+                break
+            end
+        end
+        idx = idx + 1
+    end
+    return edge_idx
+end
+
 return TextBoxWidget
diff --git a/frontend/util.lua b/frontend/util.lua
index 2272e9feb..bd0b5726b 100644
--- a/frontend/util.lua
+++ b/frontend/util.lua
@@ -146,9 +146,34 @@ function util.splitToWords(text)
     return wlist
 end
 
--- Test whether a string could be separated by a char for multi-line rendering
-function util.isSplitable(c)
-    return util.isCJKChar(c) or c == " " or string.match(c, "%p") ~= nil
+-- We don't want to split on a space if it is followed by some
+-- specific punctuation : e.g. "word :" or "word )"
+-- (In french, there is a space before a colon, and it better
+-- not be wrapped there.)
+-- Includes U+00BB >> (right double angle quotation mark) and
+-- U+201D '' (right double quotation mark)
+local non_splitable_space_tailers = ":;,.!?)]}$%-=/<>»”"
+
+-- Test whether a string could be separated by this char for multi-line rendering
+-- Optional next char may be provided to help make the decision
+function util.isSplitable(c, next_c)
+    if util.isCJKChar(c) then
+        -- a CJKChar is a word in itself, and so is splitable
+        return true
+    elseif c == " " then
+        -- we only split on a space (so punctuation sticks to prev word)
+        -- if next_c is provided, we can make a better decision
+        if next_c and non_splitable_space_tailers:find(next_c, 1, true) then
+            -- this space is followed by some punctuation that is better
+            -- kept with us along previous word
+            return false
+        else
+            -- we can split on this space
+            return true
+        end
+    end
+    -- otherwise, non splitable
+    return false
 end
 
 return util
diff --git a/spec/unit/util_spec.lua b/spec/unit/util_spec.lua
index 7ebdbf6e6..557b4905b 100644
--- a/spec/unit/util_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/unit/util_spec.lua
@@ -93,14 +93,12 @@ describe("util module", function()
             if i == #table_chars then table.insert(table_of_words, word) end
         end
         assert.are_same(table_of_words, {
-            "Pójdźże,",
-            " ",
+            "Pójdźże, ",
             "chmurność ",
             "glück ",
             "schließen ",
             "Štěstí ",
-            "neštěstí.",
-            " ",
+            "neštěstí. ",
             "Uñas ",
             "gavilán",
         })
@@ -126,4 +124,38 @@ describe("util module", function()
         })
     end)
 
+    it("should split text to line with next_c - unicode", function()
+        local text = "Ce test : 1) est très simple ; 2 ) simple comme ( 2/2 ) > 50 % ? ok."
+        local word = ""
+        local table_of_words = {}
+        local c
+        local table_chars = util.splitToChars(text)
+        for i = 1, #table_chars  do
+            c = table_chars[i]
+            next_c = i < #table_chars and table_chars[i+1] or nil
+            word = word .. c
+            if util.isSplitable(c, next_c) then
+                table.insert(table_of_words, word)
+                word = ""
+            end
+            if i == #table_chars then table.insert(table_of_words, word) end
+        end
+        assert.are_same(table_of_words, {
+            "Ce ",
+            "test : ",
+            "1) ",
+            "est ",
+            "très ",
+            "simple ; ",
+            "2 ) ",
+            "simple ",
+            "comme ",
+            "( ",
+            "2/2 ) > ",
+            "50 % ? ",
+            "ok."
+        })
+    end)
+
+
 end)