diff --git a/benchmark/static_http_server.js b/benchmark/static_http_server.js
index 6d925b514e..da62434cdb 100644
--- a/benchmark/static_http_server.js
+++ b/benchmark/static_http_server.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ server.listen(port);
 function responseListener (res) {
   res.addListener("complete", function () {
     if (requests < n) {
-      res.client.get("/").finish(responseListener);
+      res.client.request("/").finish(responseListener);
       requests++;
     }
 
@@ -41,6 +41,6 @@ function responseListener (res) {
 for (var i = 0; i < concurrency; i++) {
   var client = http.createClient(port);
   client.id = i;
-  client.get("/").finish(responseListener);
+  client.request("/").finish(responseListener);
   requests++;
 }
diff --git a/doc/api.txt b/doc/api.txt
index 0be870926c..5852ca8196 100644
--- a/doc/api.txt
+++ b/doc/api.txt
@@ -928,7 +928,7 @@ Example of connecting to +google.com+
 var sys = require("sys"),
    http = require("http");
 var google = http.createClient(80, "www.google.com");
-var request = google.get("/", {"host": "www.google.com"});
+var request = google.request("GET", "/", {"host": "www.google.com"});
 request.finish(function (response) {
   sys.puts("STATUS: " + response.statusCode);
   sys.puts("HEADERS: " + JSON.stringify(response.headers));
@@ -945,9 +945,12 @@ Constructs a new HTTP client. +port+ and
 +host+ refer to the server to be connected to. A
 connection is not established until a request is issued.
 
-+client.get(path, request_headers)+, +client.head(path, request_headers)+, +client.post(path, request_headers)+, +client.del(path, request_headers)+, +client.put(path, request_headers)+ ::
++client.request([method], path, [request_headers])+ ::
 
 Issues a request; if necessary establishes connection. Returns a +http.ClientRequest+ instance.
+
++
++method+ is optional and defaults to "GET" if omitted.
 +
 +request_headers+ is optional.
 Additional request headers might be added internally
diff --git a/lib/http.js b/lib/http.js
index 17846c1ca9..e49ec5fa33 100644
--- a/lib/http.js
+++ b/lib/http.js
@@ -594,32 +594,33 @@ exports.createClient = function (port, host) {
   return client;
 };
 
-process.http.Client.prototype.get = function (uri, headers) {
-  var req = new ClientRequest("GET", uri, headers);
-  this._pushRequest(req);
-  return req;
+process.http.Client.prototype.get = function () {
+  throw new Error("client.get(...) is now client.request('GET', ...)");
 };
 
-process.http.Client.prototype.head = function (uri, headers) {
-  var req = new ClientRequest("HEAD", uri, headers);
-  this._pushRequest(req);
-  return req;
+process.http.Client.prototype.head = function () {
+  throw new Error("client.head(...) is now client.request('HEAD', ...)");
 };
 
-process.http.Client.prototype.post = function (uri, headers) {
-  var req = new ClientRequest("POST", uri, headers);
-  this._pushRequest(req);
-  return req;
+process.http.Client.prototype.post = function () {
+  throw new Error("client.post(...) is now client.request('POST', ...)");
 };
 
-process.http.Client.prototype.del = function (uri, headers) {
-  var req = new ClientRequest("DELETE", uri, headers);
-  this._pushRequest(req);
-  return req;
+process.http.Client.prototype.del = function () {
+  throw new Error("client.del(...) is now client.request('DELETE', ...)");
 };
 
-process.http.Client.prototype.put = function (uri, headers) {
-  var req = new ClientRequest("PUT", uri, headers);
+process.http.Client.prototype.put = function () {
+  throw new Error("client.put(...) is now client.request('PUT', ...)");
+};
+
+process.http.Client.prototype.request = function (method, uri, headers) {
+  if (typeof(uri) != "string") { // assume method was omitted, shift arguments
+    headers = uri;
+    uri = method;
+    method = null;
+  }
+  var req = new ClientRequest(method || "GET", uri, headers);
   this._pushRequest(req);
   return req;
 };
@@ -637,7 +638,7 @@ exports.cat = function (url, encoding, headers) {
   }
 
   var client = exports.createClient(uri.port || 80, uri.host);
-  var req = client.get(uri.path || "/", headers);
+  var req = client.request(uri.path || "/", headers);
 
   client.addListener("error", function () {
     promise.emitError();
diff --git a/test/mjsunit/test-http-client-race.js b/test/mjsunit/test-http-client-race.js
index eedd276881..1f333928a6 100644
--- a/test/mjsunit/test-http-client-race.js
+++ b/test/mjsunit/test-http-client-race.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ var client = http.createClient(PORT);
 var body1 = "";
 var body2 = "";
 
-client.get("/1").finish(function (res1) {
+client.request("/1").finish(function (res1) {
   res1.setBodyEncoding("utf8");
 
   res1.addListener("body", function (chunk) {
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ client.get("/1").finish(function (res1) {
   });
 
   res1.addListener("complete", function () {
-    client.get("/2").finish(function (res2) {
+    client.request("/2").finish(function (res2) {
       res2.setBodyEncoding("utf8");
       res2.addListener("body", function (chunk) { body2 += chunk; });
       res2.addListener("complete", function () { server.close(); });
diff --git a/test/mjsunit/test-http-client-upload.js b/test/mjsunit/test-http-client-upload.js
index 5760664d31..73d95d537c 100644
--- a/test/mjsunit/test-http-client-upload.js
+++ b/test/mjsunit/test-http-client-upload.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ var server = http.createServer(function(req, res) {
 server.listen(PORT);
 
 var client = http.createClient(PORT);
-var req = client.post('/');
+var req = client.request('POST', '/');
 
 req.sendBody('1\n');
 req.sendBody('2\n');
diff --git a/test/mjsunit/test-http-proxy.js b/test/mjsunit/test-http-proxy.js
index f575fab3ac..1a9025dc9d 100644
--- a/test/mjsunit/test-http-proxy.js
+++ b/test/mjsunit/test-http-proxy.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ backend.listen(BACKEND_PORT);
 var proxy_client = http.createClient(BACKEND_PORT);
 var proxy = http.createServer(function (req, res) {
   debug("proxy req headers: " + JSON.stringify(req.headers));
-  var proxy_req = proxy_client.get(req.uri.path);
+  var proxy_req = proxy_client.request(req.uri.path);
   proxy_req.finish(function(proxy_res) {
     res.sendHeader(proxy_res.statusCode, proxy_res.headers);
     proxy_res.addListener("body", function(chunk) {
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ proxy.listen(PROXY_PORT);
 var body = "";
 
 var client = http.createClient(PROXY_PORT);
-var req = client.get("/test");
+var req = client.request("/test");
 // debug("client req")
 req.finish(function (res) {
   // debug("got res");
diff --git a/test/mjsunit/test-http-tls.js b/test/mjsunit/test-http-tls.js
index 0d80b9a91a..342b009cc6 100644
--- a/test/mjsunit/test-http-tls.js
+++ b/test/mjsunit/test-http-tls.js
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ http_server.listen(PORT);
 
 var client = http.createClient(PORT, HOST);
 client.setSecure("x509_PEM", caPem, 0, keyPem, certPem);
-var req = client.get("/hello", {"Accept": "*/*", "Foo": "bar"});
+var req = client.request("/hello", {"Accept": "*/*", "Foo": "bar"});
 req.finish(function (res) {
   var verified = res.connection.verifyPeer();
   var peerDN = res.connection.getPeerCertificate("DNstring");
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ req.finish(function (res) {
 });
 
 setTimeout(function () {
-  req = client.post("/world");
+  req = client.request("POST", "/world");
   req.finish(function (res) {
     var verified = res.connection.verifyPeer();
     var peerDN = res.connection.getPeerCertificate("DNstring");
diff --git a/test/mjsunit/test-http.js b/test/mjsunit/test-http.js
index e41175f949..ae67cb8b2a 100644
--- a/test/mjsunit/test-http.js
+++ b/test/mjsunit/test-http.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ http.createServer(function (req, res) {
 }).listen(PORT);
 
 var client = http.createClient(PORT);
-var req = client.get("/hello", {"Accept": "*/*", "Foo": "bar"});
+var req = client.request("/hello", {"Accept": "*/*", "Foo": "bar"});
 req.finish(function (res) {
   assert.equal(200, res.statusCode);
   responses_recvd += 1;
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ req.finish(function (res) {
 });
 
 setTimeout(function () {
-  req = client.post("/world");
+  req = client.request("POST", "/world");
   req.finish(function (res) {
     assert.equal(200, res.statusCode);
     responses_recvd += 1;
diff --git a/test/mjsunit/test-multipart.js b/test/mjsunit/test-multipart.js
index ee41a665d9..ea80232cb0 100644
--- a/test/mjsunit/test-multipart.js
+++ b/test/mjsunit/test-multipart.js
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ var server = http.createServer(function(req, res) {
 server.listen(port);
 
 var client = http.createClient(port);
-var request = client.post('/', {'Content-Type': 'multipart/form-data; boundary=AaB03x', 'Content-Length': fixture.reply.length});
+var request = client.request('POST', '/', {'Content-Type': 'multipart/form-data; boundary=AaB03x', 'Content-Length': fixture.reply.length});
 request.sendBody(fixture.reply, 'binary');
 request.finish();