diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 7a5d747..679e633 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -808,18 +808,32 @@ else
 fi
 AC_SUBST(TESTDATADIR)
 
+# some compilers do not support this flag (see bug #76963)
+fno_check_new=
+AC_MSG_CHECKING([for -fno-check-new compiler flag])
+AC_LANG_PUSH([C++])
+saved_CXXFLAGS=$CXXFLAGS
+CXXFLAGS="-fno-check-new $CXXFLAGS"
+AC_TRY_COMPILE([], [],
+  [AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
+  fno_check_new="-fno-check-new"],
+  AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+)
+CXXFLAGS=$saved_CXXFLAGS
+AC_LANG_POP
+
 if test "x$GCC" != xyes; then
   enable_compile_warnings=no
 fi
 case "$enable_compile_warnings" in
   no)	;;
-  yes)	CXXFLAGS="-Wall -Woverloaded-virtual -Wnon-virtual-dtor -Wcast-align -fno-exceptions -fno-check-new -fno-common $CXXFLAGS";
+  yes)	CXXFLAGS="-Wall -Woverloaded-virtual -Wnon-virtual-dtor -Wcast-align -fno-exceptions $fno_check_new -fno-common $CXXFLAGS";
         CFLAGS="-Wall $CFLAGS" ;;
   kde)	CXXFLAGS="-Wnon-virtual-dtor -Wno-long-long -Wundef \
 		-D_XOPEN_SOURCE=600 -D_BSD_SOURCE -Wcast-align \
 		-Wconversion -Wall -W -Wpointer-arith \
 		-Wwrite-strings -O2 -Wformat-security \
-		-Wmissing-format-attribute -fno-exceptions -fno-check-new \
+		-Wmissing-format-attribute -fno-exceptions $fno_check_new \
 		-fno-common $CXXFLAGS" ;;
 esac