diff --git a/crypto_sign/falcon-1024/clean/fpr.h b/crypto_sign/falcon-1024/clean/fpr.h
index 795a5b49..004bc0df 100644
--- a/crypto_sign/falcon-1024/clean/fpr.h
+++ b/crypto_sign/falcon-1024/clean/fpr.h
@@ -424,20 +424,32 @@ fpr fpr_sqrt(fpr x);
 static inline int
 fpr_lt(fpr x, fpr y) {
     /*
-     * If x >= 0 or y >= 0, a signed comparison yields the proper
-     * result:
+     * If both x and y are positive, then a signed comparison yields
+     * the proper result:
      *   - For positive values, the order is preserved.
      *   - The sign bit is at the same place as in integers, so
      *     sign is preserved.
+     * Moreover, we can compute [x < y] as sgn(x-y) and the computation
+     * of x-y will not overflow.
+     *
+     * If the signs differ, then sgn(x) gives the proper result.
      *
      * If both x and y are negative, then the order is reversed.
-     * We cannot simply invert the comparison result in that case
-     * because it would not handle the edge case x = y properly.
+     * Hence [x < y] = sgn(y-x). We must compute this separately from
+     * sgn(x-y); simply inverting sgn(x-y) would not handle the edge
+     * case x = y properly.
      */
     int cc0, cc1;
+    int64_t sx;
+    int64_t sy;
+
+    sx = *(int64_t *)&x;
+    sy = *(int64_t *)&y;
+    sy &= ~((sx ^ sy) >> 63); /* set sy=0 if signs differ */
+
+    cc0 = (int)((sx - sy) >> 63) & 1; /* Neither subtraction overflows when */
+    cc1 = (int)((sy - sx) >> 63) & 1; /* the signs are the same. */
 
-    cc0 = (int)((*(int64_t *)&x - * (int64_t *)&y) >> 63) & 1;
-    cc1 = (int)((*(int64_t *)&y - * (int64_t *)&x) >> 63) & 1;
     return cc0 ^ ((cc0 ^ cc1) & (int)((x & y) >> 63));
 }
 
diff --git a/crypto_sign/falcon-512/clean/fpr.h b/crypto_sign/falcon-512/clean/fpr.h
index 65ce5db4..b662a52b 100644
--- a/crypto_sign/falcon-512/clean/fpr.h
+++ b/crypto_sign/falcon-512/clean/fpr.h
@@ -424,20 +424,32 @@ fpr fpr_sqrt(fpr x);
 static inline int
 fpr_lt(fpr x, fpr y) {
     /*
-     * If x >= 0 or y >= 0, a signed comparison yields the proper
-     * result:
+     * If both x and y are positive, then a signed comparison yields
+     * the proper result:
      *   - For positive values, the order is preserved.
      *   - The sign bit is at the same place as in integers, so
      *     sign is preserved.
+     * Moreover, we can compute [x < y] as sgn(x-y) and the computation
+     * of x-y will not overflow.
+     *
+     * If the signs differ, then sgn(x) gives the proper result.
      *
      * If both x and y are negative, then the order is reversed.
-     * We cannot simply invert the comparison result in that case
-     * because it would not handle the edge case x = y properly.
+     * Hence [x < y] = sgn(y-x). We must compute this separately from
+     * sgn(x-y); simply inverting sgn(x-y) would not handle the edge
+     * case x = y properly.
      */
     int cc0, cc1;
+    int64_t sx;
+    int64_t sy;
+
+    sx = *(int64_t *)&x;
+    sy = *(int64_t *)&y;
+    sy &= ~((sx ^ sy) >> 63); /* set sy=0 if signs differ */
+
+    cc0 = (int)((sx - sy) >> 63) & 1; /* Neither subtraction overflows when */
+    cc1 = (int)((sy - sx) >> 63) & 1; /* the signs are the same. */
 
-    cc0 = (int)((*(int64_t *)&x - * (int64_t *)&y) >> 63) & 1;
-    cc1 = (int)((*(int64_t *)&y - * (int64_t *)&x) >> 63) & 1;
     return cc0 ^ ((cc0 ^ cc1) & (int)((x & y) >> 63));
 }