Index: fnmatch.py
===================================================================
--- fnmatch.py	(revision 82643)
+++ fnmatch.py	(working copy)
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 __all__ = ["filter", "fnmatch","fnmatchcase","translate"]
 
 _cache = {}
+_MAXCACHE = 100
 
 def fnmatch(name, pat):
     """Test whether FILENAME matches PATTERN.
@@ -44,6 +45,8 @@
     pat=os.path.normcase(pat)
     if not pat in _cache:
         res = translate(pat)
+        if len(_cache) >= _MAXCACHE:
+            _cache.clear()
         _cache[pat] = re.compile(res)
     match=_cache[pat].match
     if os.path is posixpath:
@@ -66,6 +69,8 @@
 
     if not pat in _cache:
         res = translate(pat)
+        if len(_cache) >= _MAXCACHE:
+            _cache.clear()
         _cache[pat] = re.compile(res)
     return _cache[pat].match(name) is not None
 
Index: test/test_fnmatch.py
===================================================================
--- test/test_fnmatch.py	(revision 82643)
+++ test/test_fnmatch.py	(working copy)
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 from test import test_support
 import unittest
 
-from fnmatch import fnmatch, fnmatchcase
+from fnmatch import fnmatch, fnmatchcase, _MAXCACHE, _cache
 
 
 class FnmatchTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -49,7 +49,16 @@
         check('AbC', 'abc', 0, fnmatchcase)
         check('abc', 'AbC', 0, fnmatchcase)
 
+    def test_cache_clearing(self):
+        # check that caches do not grow too large
+        # http://bugs.python.org/issue7846
 
+        # string pattern cache
+        for i in range(_MAXCACHE + 1):
+            fnmatch('foo', '?' * i)
+
+        self.assertTrue(len(_cache) <= _MAXCACHE)
+
 def test_main():
     test_support.run_unittest(FnmatchTestCase)