diff --git a/src/libexpr/eval.cc b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
index 3db4bb66f4..538325601b 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/eval.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/eval.cc
@@ -908,6 +908,17 @@ void ExprOpNot::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
 }
 
 
+void ExprBuiltin::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
+{
+    // Not a hot path at all, but would be nice to access state.baseEnv directly
+    Env *baseEnv = &env;
+    while (baseEnv->up) baseEnv = baseEnv->up;
+    Bindings::iterator binding = baseEnv->values[0]->attrs->find(name);
+    assert(binding != baseEnv->values[0]->attrs->end());
+    v = *binding->value;
+}
+
+
 void ExprOpEq::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
 {
     Value v1; e1->eval(state, env, v1);
diff --git a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
index f4b4295e29..c7ac967968 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
+++ b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
@@ -121,6 +121,11 @@ void ExprOpNot::show(std::ostream & str)
     str << "! " << *e;
 }
 
+void ExprBuiltin::show(std::ostream & str)
+{
+    str << "builtins." << name;
+}
+
 void ExprConcatStrings::show(std::ostream & str)
 {
     bool first = true;
@@ -314,6 +319,10 @@ void ExprOpNot::bindVars(const StaticEnv & env)
     e->bindVars(env);
 }
 
+void ExprBuiltin::bindVars(const StaticEnv & env)
+{
+}
+
 void ExprConcatStrings::bindVars(const StaticEnv & env)
 {
     foreach (vector<Expr *>::iterator, i, *es)
diff --git a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
index 61eb81fab1..2ae2e2e96f 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
+++ b/src/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
@@ -248,6 +248,13 @@ struct ExprOpNot : Expr
     COMMON_METHODS
 };
 
+struct ExprBuiltin : Expr
+{
+    Symbol name;
+    ExprBuiltin(Symbol name) : name(name) { };
+    COMMON_METHODS
+};
+
 #define MakeBinOp(name, s) \
     struct Expr##name : Expr \
     { \
diff --git a/src/libexpr/parser.y b/src/libexpr/parser.y
index 7699cf502b..d30882ac84 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/parser.y
+++ b/src/libexpr/parser.y
@@ -311,13 +311,13 @@ expr_if
 
 expr_op
   : '!' expr_op %prec NOT { $$ = new ExprOpNot($2); }
-| '-' expr_op %prec NEGATE { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("__sub")), new ExprInt(0)), $2); }
+| '-' expr_op %prec NEGATE { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("sub")), new ExprInt(0)), $2); }
   | expr_op EQ expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpEq($1, $3); }
   | expr_op NEQ expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpNEq($1, $3); }
-  | expr_op '<' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("__lessThan")), $1), $3); }
-  | expr_op LEQ expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpNot(new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("__lessThan")), $3), $1)); }
-  | expr_op '>' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("__lessThan")), $3), $1); }
-  | expr_op GEQ expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpNot(new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("__lessThan")), $1), $3)); }
+  | expr_op '<' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("lessThan")), $1), $3); }
+  | expr_op LEQ expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpNot(new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("lessThan")), $3), $1)); }
+  | expr_op '>' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("lessThan")), $3), $1); }
+  | expr_op GEQ expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpNot(new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("lessThan")), $1), $3)); }
   | expr_op AND expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpAnd($1, $3); }
   | expr_op OR expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpOr($1, $3); }
   | expr_op IMPL expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpImpl($1, $3); }
@@ -329,9 +329,9 @@ expr_op
       l->push_back($3);
       $$ = new ExprConcatStrings(false, l);
     }
-  | expr_op '-' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("__sub")), $1), $3); }
-  | expr_op '*' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("__mul")), $1), $3); }
-  | expr_op '/' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("__div")), $1), $3); }
+  | expr_op '-' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("sub")), $1), $3); }
+  | expr_op '*' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("mul")), $1), $3); }
+  | expr_op '/' expr_op { $$ = new ExprApp(new ExprApp(new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("div")), $1), $3); }
   | expr_op CONCAT expr_op { $$ = new ExprOpConcatLists($1, $3); }
   | expr_app
   ;
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ expr_simple
          ‘throw’. */
       $$ = path2 == ""
           ? (Expr * ) new ExprApp(
-              new ExprVar(noPos, data->symbols.create("throw")),
+              new ExprBuiltin(data->symbols.create("throw")),
               new ExprString(data->symbols.create(
                       (format("file `%1%' was not found in the Nix search path (add it using $NIX_PATH or -I)") % path).str())))
           : (Expr * ) new ExprPath(path2);
diff --git a/tests/lang/eval-okay-redefine-builtin.exp b/tests/lang/eval-okay-redefine-builtin.exp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c508d5366f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lang/eval-okay-redefine-builtin.exp
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+false
diff --git a/tests/lang/eval-okay-redefine-builtin.nix b/tests/lang/eval-okay-redefine-builtin.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..df9fc3f37d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lang/eval-okay-redefine-builtin.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+let
+  throw = abort "Error!";
+in (builtins.tryEval <foobaz>).success