If that is the case, Mutt will use the shown pattern modifier instead.
If a keyword would conflict with your search keyword, you need to turn
it into a regular expression to avoid matching the keyword table. For
-example, if you want to find all messages matching <quote><literal>flag</literal></quote>
-(using <link linkend="simple-search">$simple_search</link>,
-see below but not meaning flagged messages) simply search for
+example, if you want to find all messages matching <quote>flag</quote>
+(using <link linkend="simple-search">$simple_search</link>)
+but don't want to match flagged messages, simply search for
<quote><literal>[f]lag</literal></quote>.
</para>