diff --git a/httpie/cli/argparser.py b/httpie/cli/argparser.py
index 9bf09b3b73..4d8986add3 100644
--- a/httpie/cli/argparser.py
+++ b/httpie/cli/argparser.py
@@ -203,6 +203,8 @@ def _process_request_type(self):
         }
 
     def _process_url(self):
+        self.args.url = self.args.base_url + self.args.url
+
         if self.args.url.startswith('://'):
             # Paste URL & add space shortcut: `http ://pie.dev` → `http://pie.dev`
             self.args.url = self.args.url[3:]
@@ -412,39 +414,11 @@ def _guess_method(self):
 
         """
         if self.args.method is None:
-            # Invoked as `http URL'.
-            assert not self.args.request_items
             if self.has_input_data:
                 self.args.method = HTTP_POST
             else:
                 self.args.method = HTTP_GET
 
-        # FIXME: False positive, e.g., "localhost" matches but is a valid URL.
-        elif not re.match('^[a-zA-Z]+$', self.args.method):
-            # Invoked as `http URL item+'. The URL is now in `args.method`
-            # and the first ITEM is now incorrectly in `args.url`.
-            try:
-                # Parse the URL as an ITEM and store it as the first ITEM arg.
-                self.args.request_items.insert(0, KeyValueArgType(
-                    *SEPARATOR_GROUP_ALL_ITEMS).__call__(self.args.url))
-
-            except argparse.ArgumentTypeError as e:
-                if self.args.traceback:
-                    raise
-                self.error(e.args[0])
-
-            else:
-                # Set the URL correctly
-                self.args.url = self.args.method
-                # Infer the method
-                has_data = (
-                    self.has_input_data
-                    or any(
-                        item.sep in SEPARATOR_GROUP_DATA_ITEMS
-                        for item in self.args.request_items)
-                )
-                self.args.method = HTTP_POST if has_data else HTTP_GET
-
     def _parse_items(self):
         """
         Parse `args.request_items` into `args.headers`, `args.data`,
diff --git a/httpie/cli/definition.py b/httpie/cli/definition.py
index 0e5f91edf7..97a5b306ae 100644
--- a/httpie/cli/definition.py
+++ b/httpie/cli/definition.py
@@ -47,24 +47,6 @@
     Only URL is required.
     """,
 )
-
-positional_arguments.add_argument(
-    dest='method',
-    metavar='METHOD',
-    nargs=Qualifiers.OPTIONAL,
-    default=None,
-    short_help='The HTTP method to be used for the request (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, ...).',
-    help="""
-    The HTTP method to be used for the request (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, ...).
-
-    This argument can be omitted in which case HTTPie will use POST if there
-    is some data to be sent, otherwise GET:
-
-        $ http example.org               # => GET
-        $ http example.org hello=world   # => POST
-
-    """,
-)
 positional_arguments.add_argument(
     dest='url',
     metavar='URL',
@@ -78,6 +60,8 @@
         $ http :3000                    # => http://localhost:3000
         $ http :/foo                    # => http://localhost/foo
 
+    Prefixed with --base-url before default scheme or shorthand processing take place.
+
     """,
 )
 positional_arguments.add_argument(
@@ -697,12 +681,39 @@ def format_auth_help(auth_plugins_mapping, *, isolation_mode: bool = False):
 
 network = options.add_group('Network')
 
+network.add_argument(
+    '--method',
+    '-X',
+    metavar='METHOD',
+    default=None,
+    short_help='The HTTP method to be used for the request (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, ...).',
+    help="""
+    The HTTP method to be used for the request (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, ...).
+
+    This argument can be omitted in which case HTTPie will use POST if there
+    is some data to be sent, otherwise GET:
+
+        $ http example.org               # => GET
+        $ http example.org hello=world   # => POST
+
+    """,
+)
 network.add_argument(
     '--offline',
     default=False,
     action='store_true',
     short_help='Build the request and print it but don’t actually send it.'
 )
+network.add_argument(
+    '--base-url',
+    default='',
+    short_help='String to prepend to the request URL.',
+    help="""
+    String to prepend to the request URL before --default-scheme and/or localhost
+    shorthand are processed. If specified multiple times, last value is used.
+
+    """
+)
 network.add_argument(
     '--proxy',
     default=[],
diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
index 6504c8a980..e9626d2757 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -375,3 +375,8 @@ def test_default_scheme_option(self, httpbin_secure):
     def test_scheme_when_invoked_as_https(self, httpbin_secure):
         url = f'{httpbin_secure.host}:{httpbin_secure.port}'
         assert HTTP_OK in http(url, program_name='https')
+
+
+class TestBaseUrl:
+    def test_base_url(self):
+        assert False, 'Needs tests'