diff --git a/usr.bin/sort/bwstring.c b/usr.bin/sort/bwstring.c
index a4656b874137..fc30b56ae885 100644
--- a/usr.bin/sort/bwstring.c
+++ b/usr.bin/sort/bwstring.c
@@ -65,18 +65,12 @@ initialise_months(void)
 			for (int i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
 				cmonths[i] = NULL;
 				tmp = (unsigned char *) nl_langinfo(item[i]);
-				if (tmp == NULL)
-					continue;
 				if (debug_sort)
 					printf("month[%d]=%s\n", i, tmp);
-				len = strlen((char*)tmp);
-				if (len < 1)
+				if (*tmp == '\0')
 					continue;
-				while (isblank(*tmp))
-					++tmp;
-				m = sort_malloc(len + 1);
-				memcpy(m, tmp, len + 1);
-				m[len] = '\0';
+				m = sort_strdup(tmp);
+				len = strlen(tmp);
 				for (unsigned int j = 0; j < len; j++)
 					m[j] = toupper(m[j]);
 				cmonths[i] = m;
@@ -91,18 +85,17 @@ initialise_months(void)
 			for (int i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
 				wmonths[i] = NULL;
 				tmp = (unsigned char *) nl_langinfo(item[i]);
-				if (tmp == NULL)
-					continue;
 				if (debug_sort)
 					printf("month[%d]=%s\n", i, tmp);
-				len = strlen((char*)tmp);
-				if (len < 1)
+				if (*tmp == '\0')
 					continue;
-				while (isblank(*tmp))
-					++tmp;
+				len = strlen(tmp);
 				m = sort_malloc(SIZEOF_WCHAR_STRING(len + 1));
-				if (mbstowcs(m, (char*)tmp, len) == ((size_t) -1))
+				if (mbstowcs(m, (char*)tmp, len) ==
+				    ((size_t) - 1)) {
+					sort_free(m);
 					continue;
+				}
 				m[len] = L'\0';
 				for (unsigned int j = 0; j < len; j++)
 					m[j] = towupper(m[j]);