diff --git a/tests/algorithm_tests.cpp b/tests/algorithm_tests.cpp
index 0866654..e42a99d 100644
--- a/tests/algorithm_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/algorithm_tests.cpp
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 #include <cstddef> // for size_t
 
 namespace{
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 }
 
 namespace gsl
diff --git a/tests/assertion_tests.cpp b/tests/assertion_tests.cpp
index db56007..0e4dd34 100644
--- a/tests/assertion_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/assertion_tests.cpp
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ int g(int i)
     return i;
 }
 
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 } // namespace
 
 TEST(assertion_tests, expects)
diff --git a/tests/at_tests.cpp b/tests/at_tests.cpp
index 29359e9..98f261a 100644
--- a/tests/at_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/at_tests.cpp
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 #include <vector>           // for vector
 
 namespace{
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 }
 
 TEST(at_tests, static_array)
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ TEST(at_tests, InitializerList)
         EXPECT_TRUE(gsl::at(a, i) == i + 1);
         EXPECT_TRUE(gsl::at({1, 2, 3, 4}, i) == i + 1);
     }
-    
+
     std::set_terminate([] {
         std::cerr << "Expected Death. InitializerList";
         std::abort();
diff --git a/tests/multi_span_tests.cpp b/tests/multi_span_tests.cpp
index 490ce83..a4fdc56 100644
--- a/tests/multi_span_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/multi_span_tests.cpp
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ void fn(const Bounds&)
     static_assert(Bounds::static_size == 60, "static bounds is wrong size");
 }
 
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 } // namespace
 
 TEST(multi_span_test, default_constructor)
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ TEST(multi_span_test, from_pointer_pointer_constructor)
         std::cerr << "Expected Death. from_pointer_pointer_constructor";
         std::abort();
     });
-    
+
     {
         auto workaround_macro = [&]() { const multi_span<int> s{&arr[1], &arr[0]}; };
         EXPECT_DEATH(workaround_macro(), deathstring);
@@ -1108,7 +1108,7 @@ TEST(multi_span_test, extent)
         std::cerr << "Expected Death. extent";
         std::abort();
     });
- 
+
     {
         multi_span<int> s;
         EXPECT_TRUE(s.extent() == 0);
diff --git a/tests/notnull_tests.cpp b/tests/notnull_tests.cpp
index 1649ed6..b1ac4d4 100644
--- a/tests/notnull_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/notnull_tests.cpp
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ struct fail_fast;
 using namespace gsl;
 
 namespace{
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 }
 
 struct MyBase
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ TEST(notnull_tests, TestNotNullConstructorTypeDeduction)
 
         EXPECT_TRUE(*x == 42);
     }
-    
+
     std::set_terminate([] {
         std::cerr << "Expected Death. TestNotNullConstructorTypeDeduction";
         std::abort();
diff --git a/tests/span_tests.cpp b/tests/span_tests.cpp
index c60383a..9336812 100644
--- a/tests/span_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/span_tests.cpp
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ struct AddressOverloaded
         return {};
     }
 };
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 } // namespace
 
 TEST(span_test, constructors)
diff --git a/tests/strict_notnull_tests.cpp b/tests/strict_notnull_tests.cpp
index 60a94fa..766654b 100644
--- a/tests/strict_notnull_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/strict_notnull_tests.cpp
@@ -42,10 +42,6 @@ namespace gsl
 struct fail_fast;
 } // namespace gsl
 
-namespace{
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
-}
-
 using namespace gsl;
 
 GSL_SUPPRESS(f.4)  // NO-FORMAT: attribute
@@ -147,6 +143,7 @@ TEST(strict_notnull_tests, TestStrictNotNull)
 }
 
 #if defined(__cplusplus) && (__cplusplus >= 201703L)
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 
 TEST(strict_notnull_tests, TestStrictNotNullConstructorTypeDeduction)
 {
diff --git a/tests/strided_span_tests.cpp b/tests/strided_span_tests.cpp
index a1abd73..f87f1dc 100644
--- a/tests/strided_span_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/strided_span_tests.cpp
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ using namespace gsl;
 
 namespace
 {
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 struct BaseClass
 {
 };
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ TEST(strided_span_tests, strided_span_bounds)
 {
     int arr[] = {0, 1, 2, 3};
     multi_span<int> av(arr);
-    
+
     std::set_terminate([] {
         std::cerr << "Expected Death. strided_span_bounds";
         std::abort();
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ TEST(strided_span_tests, strided_span_type_conversion)
 {
     int arr[] = {0, 1, 2, 3};
     multi_span<int> av(arr);
-        
+
     std::set_terminate([] {
         std::cerr << "Expected Death. strided_span_type_conversion";
         std::abort();
diff --git a/tests/string_span_tests.cpp b/tests/string_span_tests.cpp
index 386834c..16bcf07 100644
--- a/tests/string_span_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/string_span_tests.cpp
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ auto strnlen(const CharT* s, std::size_t n)
 
 namespace
 {
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 
 template <typename T>
 T move_wrapper(T&& t)
@@ -1046,7 +1046,7 @@ TEST(string_span_tests, wzstring)
 }
 
 TEST(string_span_tests, u16zstring)
-{    
+{
     std::set_terminate([] {
         std::cerr << "Expected Death. u16zstring";
         std::abort();
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests.cpp b/tests/utils_tests.cpp
index 6e6dd8a..5911371 100644
--- a/tests/utils_tests.cpp
+++ b/tests/utils_tests.cpp
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 using namespace gsl;
 
 namespace{
-static const std::string deathstring("Expected Death");
+static const char *deathstring("Expected Death");
 void f(int& i) { i += 1; }
 static int j = 0;
 void g() { j += 1; }
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ TEST(utils_tests, narrow_cast)
 }
 
 TEST(utils_tests, narrow)
-{    
+{
     std::set_terminate([] {
         std::cerr << "Expected Death. narrow";
         std::abort();