diff --git a/src/Plots.jl b/src/Plots.jl
index e7c7fc66..d320df7c 100644
--- a/src/Plots.jl
+++ b/src/Plots.jl
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ export
     yflip!,
     xaxis!,
     yaxis!,
+    xgrid!,
+    ygrid!,
 
     xlims,
     ylims,
@@ -213,6 +215,8 @@ xflip!(flip::Bool = true; kw...)                          = plot!(; xflip = flip
 yflip!(flip::Bool = true; kw...)                          = plot!(; yflip = flip, kw...)
 xaxis!(args...; kw...)                                    = plot!(; xaxis = args, kw...)
 yaxis!(args...; kw...)                                    = plot!(; yaxis = args, kw...)
+xgrid!(grid::Bool = true; kw...)                          = plot!(; xgrid = grid, kw...)
+ygrid!(grid::Bool = true; kw...)                          = plot!(; ygrid = grid, kw...)
 
 let PlotOrSubplot = Union{Plot, Subplot}
     title!(plt::PlotOrSubplot, s::AbstractString; kw...)                  = plot!(plt; title = s, kw...)
@@ -230,6 +234,8 @@ let PlotOrSubplot = Union{Plot, Subplot}
                               ticks::AVec{T}, labels::AVec{S}; kw...)     = plot!(plt; xticks = (ticks,labels), kw...)
     yticks!{T<:Real,S<:AbstractString}(plt::PlotOrSubplot,
                               ticks::AVec{T}, labels::AVec{S}; kw...)     = plot!(plt; yticks = (ticks,labels), kw...)
+    xgrid!(plt::PlotOrSubplot, grid::Bool = true; kw...)                  = plot!(plt; xgrid = grid, kw...)
+    ygrid!(plt::PlotOrSubplot, grid::Bool = true; kw...)                  = plot!(plt; ygrid = grid, kw...)
     annotate!(plt::PlotOrSubplot, anns...; kw...)                         = plot!(plt; annotation = anns, kw...)
     annotate!{T<:Tuple}(plt::PlotOrSubplot, anns::AVec{T}; kw...)         = plot!(plt; annotation = anns, kw...)
     xflip!(plt::PlotOrSubplot, flip::Bool = true; kw...)                  = plot!(plt; xflip = flip, kw...)
diff --git a/src/arg_desc.jl b/src/arg_desc.jl
index f244ff99..571400a7 100644
--- a/src/arg_desc.jl
+++ b/src/arg_desc.jl
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@ const _arg_desc = KW(
 :colorbar                 => "Bool (show the colorbar?) or Symbol (colorbar position).  Symbol values: `:none`, `:best`, `:right`, `:left`, `:top`, `:bottom`, `:legend` (matches legend value) (note: only some may be supported in each backend)",
 :clims 					  => "`:auto` or NTuple{2,Number}.  Fixes the limits of the colorbar.",
 :legendfont               => "Font. Font of legend items.",
-:grid                     => "Bool. Show the grid lines?",
 :annotations              => "(x,y,text) tuple(s).  Can be a single tuple or a list of them.  Text can be String or PlotText (created with `text(args...)`)  Add one-off text annotations at the x,y coordinates.",
 :projection               => "Symbol or String.  '3d' or 'polar'",
 :aspect_ratio             => "Symbol (:equal) or Number. Plot area is resized so that 1 y-unit is the same size as `apect_ratio` x-units.",
@@ -111,5 +110,6 @@ const _arg_desc = KW(
 :foreground_color_text    => "Color Type or `:match` (matches `:foreground_color_subplot`). Color of tick labels.",
 :foreground_color_guide   => "Color Type or `:match` (matches `:foreground_color_subplot`). Color of axis guides (axis labels).",
 :mirror                   => "Bool.  Switch the side of the tick labels (right or top).",
+:grid                     => "Bool. Show the grid lines?",
 
 )
diff --git a/src/args.jl b/src/args.jl
index ea4f8627..cf023191 100644
--- a/src/args.jl
+++ b/src/args.jl
@@ -247,7 +247,6 @@ const _subplot_defaults = KW(
     :background_color_inside  => :match,            # background inside grid
     :foreground_color_subplot => :match,            # default for other fg colors... match takes plot default
     :foreground_color_legend  => :match,            # foreground of legend
-    :foreground_color_grid    => :match,            # grid color
     :foreground_color_title   => :match,            # title color
     :color_palette            => :auto,
     :legend                   => :best,
@@ -255,7 +254,6 @@ const _subplot_defaults = KW(
     :colorbar                 => :legend,
     :clims                    => :auto,
     :legendfont               => font(8),
-    :grid                     => true,
     :annotations              => [],                # annotation tuples... list of (x,y,annotation)
     :projection               => :none,             # can also be :polar or :3d
     :aspect_ratio             => :none,             # choose from :none or :equal
@@ -285,6 +283,8 @@ const _axis_defaults = KW(
     :discrete_values => [],
     :formatter => :auto,
     :mirror => false,
+    :grid                     => true,
+    :foreground_color_grid    => :match,            # grid color
 )
 
 const _suppress_warnings = Set{Symbol}([