diff --git a/cpplint.py b/cpplint.py
index 8c56fec..2b259e4 100755
--- a/cpplint.py
+++ b/cpplint.py
@@ -920,6 +920,10 @@
 # Match string that indicates we're working on a Linux Kernel file.
 _SEARCH_KERNEL_FILE = re.compile(r"\b(?:LINT_KERNEL_FILE)")
 
+# Operator sequences beginning with '<' (used to strip before counting angle brackets).
+# Longer sequences must come first so '<<=' is not partially matched as '<<'.
+_LANGLE_OPS_RE = re.compile(r"<<=|<=|<<")
+
 # Commands for sed to fix the problem
 _SED_FIXUPS = {
     "Remove spaces around =": r"s/ = /=/",
@@ -3972,15 +3976,27 @@ def CheckForNonStandardConstructs(filename, clean_lines, linenum, nesting_state,
             constructor_args = explicit_constructor_match.group(2).split(",")
 
         # collapse arguments so that commas in template parameter lists and function
-        # argument parameter lists don't split arguments in two
+        # argument parameter lists don't split arguments in two.
+        # Strip operator sequences that begin with '<' before counting angle
+        # brackets, to avoid confusing operators with unmatched template
+        # brackets.  Longer sequences must come first so that '<<=' is not
+        # partially matched as '<<' leaving a stray '='.
+        # Note: '>>' and '>=' are intentionally left alone because extra '>'
+        # characters do not trigger the joining loop (condition is
+        # count('<') > count('>')), and stripping '>>' would break nested
+        # template types such as vector<vector<int>>.
         i = 0
         while i < len(constructor_args):
             constructor_arg = constructor_args[i]
-            while constructor_arg.count("<") > constructor_arg.count(">") or constructor_arg.count(
+            cleaned_arg = _LANGLE_OPS_RE.sub("", constructor_arg)
+            while cleaned_arg.count("<") > cleaned_arg.count(">") or cleaned_arg.count(
                 "("
-            ) > constructor_arg.count(")"):
+            ) > cleaned_arg.count(")"):
+                if i + 1 >= len(constructor_args):
+                    break
                 constructor_arg += "," + constructor_args[i + 1]
                 del constructor_args[i + 1]
+                cleaned_arg = _LANGLE_OPS_RE.sub("", constructor_arg)
             constructor_args[i] = constructor_arg
             i += 1
 
diff --git a/cpplint_unittest.py b/cpplint_unittest.py
index c7737f4..774f3d6 100755
--- a/cpplint_unittest.py
+++ b/cpplint_unittest.py
@@ -1823,6 +1823,32 @@ class Foo {
                 """
           class Foo {
             explicit Foo(int f, int g);
+          };""",
+                "",
+            )
+            # No crash or warning for constructors with '<'-containing operators
+            # in default parameter values (regression test for issue #223).
+            # left shift <<
+            self.TestMultiLineLint(
+                """
+          class A {
+            A(int b, int c, int a = 1 << 1) {}
+          };""",
+                "",
+            )
+            # compound left-shift-assign <<=
+            self.TestMultiLineLint(
+                """
+          class A {
+            A(int b, int c, int a = (x <<= 1)) {}
+          };""",
+                "",
+            )
+            # less-or-equal <=
+            self.TestMultiLineLint(
+                """
+          class A {
+            A(int b, int c, int a = b <= c ? 1 : 0) {}
           };""",
                 "",
             )