diff --git a/basis/alien/c-types/c-types-tests.factor b/basis/alien/c-types/c-types-tests.factor
index 31542b2699..40171f56e7 100644
--- a/basis/alien/c-types/c-types-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/c-types/c-types-tests.factor
@@ -8,10 +8,6 @@ sequences system libc alien.strings io.encodings.utf8 ;
 
 [ { "blah" 123 } ] [ { "blah" xyz } expand-constants ] unit-test
 
-: foo ( -- n ) &: fdafd [ 123 ] unless* ;
-
-[ 123 ] [ foo ] unit-test
-
 [ -1 ] [ -1 <char> *char ] unit-test
 [ -1 ] [ -1 <short> *short ] unit-test
 [ -1 ] [ -1 <int> *int ] unit-test
diff --git a/basis/alien/syntax/syntax.factor b/basis/alien/syntax/syntax.factor
index a02d2f3cb4..bed454e81d 100644
--- a/basis/alien/syntax/syntax.factor
+++ b/basis/alien/syntax/syntax.factor
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ USING: accessors arrays alien alien.c-types alien.structs
 alien.arrays alien.strings kernel math namespaces parser
 sequences words quotations math.parser splitting grouping
 effects assocs combinators lexer strings.parser alien.parser 
-fry vocabs.parser ;
+fry vocabs.parser words.constant ;
 IN: alien.syntax
 
 : DLL" lexer get skip-blank parse-string dlopen parsed ; parsing
@@ -31,10 +31,11 @@ IN: alien.syntax
 
 : C-ENUM:
     ";" parse-tokens
-    dup length
-    [ [ create-in ] dip 1quotation define ] 2each ;
+    [ [ create-in ] dip define-constant ] each-index ;
     parsing
 
+: address-of ( name library -- value )
+    load-library dlsym [ "No such symbol" throw ] unless* ;
+
 : &:
-    scan "c-library" get
-    '[ _ _ load-library dlsym ] over push-all ; parsing
+    scan "c-library" get '[ _ _ address-of ] over push-all ; parsing