diff --git a/API.txt b/API.txt
index d744532..d6c04ef 100644
--- a/API.txt
+++ b/API.txt
@@ -130,9 +130,9 @@ Customizing the legend
     labelBoxBorderColor: color
     noColumns: number
     position: "ne" or "nw" or "se" or "sw"
-    margin: number of pixels
+    margin: number of pixels or [x margin, y margin]
     backgroundColor: null or color
-    backgroundOpacity: number in 0.0 - 1.0
+    backgroundOpacity: number between 0 and 1
     container: null or jQuery object/DOM element/jQuery expression
   }
 
@@ -149,14 +149,16 @@ clickable:
 "noColumns" is the number of columns to divide the legend table into.
 "position" specifies the overall placement of the legend within the
 plot (top-right, top-left, etc.) and margin the distance to the plot
-edge. "backgroundColor" and "backgroundOpacity" specifies the
+edge (this can be either a number or an array of two numbers like [x,
+y]). "backgroundColor" and "backgroundOpacity" specifies the
 background. The default is a partly transparent auto-detected
 background.
 
 If you want the legend to appear somewhere else in the DOM, you can
-specify "container" as a jQuery object to put the legend table into.
-The "position" and "margin" etc. options will then be ignored. Note
-that it will overwrite the contents of the container.
+specify "container" as a jQuery object/expression to put the legend
+table into. The "position" and "margin" etc. options will then be
+ignored. Note that Flot will overwrite the contents of the container.
+Most of the above settings do not apply
 
 
 
diff --git a/NEWS.txt b/NEWS.txt
index 23f3bd5..4fd213e 100644
--- a/NEWS.txt
+++ b/NEWS.txt
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ Changes:
 - Added a "plotunselected" event which is triggered when the selection
   is removed, see "selection" example (suggestion by Meda Ugo);
 
+- The option legend.margin can now specify horizontal and vertical
+  margins independently (suggestion by someone who's annoyed).
+
   
 Bug fixes:
 
diff --git a/jquery.flot.js b/jquery.flot.js
index 3880821..34d43a6 100644
--- a/jquery.flot.js
+++ b/jquery.flot.js
@@ -1504,16 +1504,19 @@
             if (options.legend.container != null)
                 $(options.legend.container).html(table);
             else {
-                var pos = "";
-                var p = options.legend.position, m = options.legend.margin;
+                var pos = "",
+                    p = options.legend.position,
+                    m = options.legend.margin;
+                if (m[0] == null)
+                    m = [m, m];
                 if (p.charAt(0) == "n")
-                    pos += 'top:' + (m + plotOffset.top) + 'px;';
+                    pos += 'top:' + (m[1] + plotOffset.top) + 'px;';
                 else if (p.charAt(0) == "s")
-                    pos += 'bottom:' + (m + plotOffset.bottom) + 'px;';
+                    pos += 'bottom:' + (m[1] + plotOffset.bottom) + 'px;';
                 if (p.charAt(1) == "e")
-                    pos += 'right:' + (m + plotOffset.right) + 'px;';
+                    pos += 'right:' + (m[0] + plotOffset.right) + 'px;';
                 else if (p.charAt(1) == "w")
-                    pos += 'left:' + (m + plotOffset.left) + 'px;';
+                    pos += 'left:' + (m[0] + plotOffset.left) + 'px;';
                 var legend = $('<div class="legend">' + table.replace('style="', 'style="position:absolute;' + pos +';') + '</div>').appendTo(target);
                 if (options.legend.backgroundOpacity != 0.0) {
                     // put in the transparent background