a couple questions about variable assignment and wildcards

[Robert P. J. Day]

  reading section 4.4, there are a couple things that aren't completely 
clear about wildcards and variable assignment.

  first, section 4.4.1 does explain a couple things just fine:

  objects = *.o
  objects := $(wildcard *.o)

the first is clearly a deferred assignment, the second immediate, so no 
mystery there.  but there's little mention about the funnier grey areas in 
the middle:

  objects = $(wildcard *.o)
  objects := *.o

the first again, i would guess, is a deferred assignment, with the actual
value of '$(wildcard *.o)' which will be evaluated when used.  how can i 
print the actual value of a variable without having it evaluated?  so that 
i could see the literal value of "*.o" or something like that?

  and that last statement is an immediate assignment, right?  so that the
wildcard expansion is done before assignment, as long as something matches
that pattern.

rday