diff --git a/examples/lang/env1.mcl b/examples/lang/env1.mcl
index e1beafcd..fe2a6aa1 100644
--- a/examples/lang/env1.mcl
+++ b/examples/lang/env1.mcl
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import "fmt"
 import "sys"
 
 $env = sys.env()
-$m = map_lookup_optional($env, "GOPATH", "")
+$m = $env["GOPATH"] || ""
 
 print "print0" {
 	msg => if sys.hasenv("GOPATH") {
diff --git a/examples/lang/maplookup1.mcl b/examples/lang/maplookup1.mcl
index 7843673e..083a592e 100644
--- a/examples/lang/maplookup1.mcl
+++ b/examples/lang/maplookup1.mcl
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@ import "fmt"
 
 $m = {"k1" => 42, "k2" => 13,}
 
-$found = map_lookup_optional($m, "k1", 99)
+$found = $m["k1"] || 99
 
 print "print1" {
 	msg => fmt.printf("found value of: %d", $found),
 }
 
-$notfound = map_lookup_optional($m, "k3", 99)
+$notfound = $m["k3"] || 99
 
 print "print2" {
 	msg => fmt.printf("notfound value of: %d", $notfound),
diff --git a/examples/lang/sendrecv1.mcl b/examples/lang/sendrecv1.mcl
index 4bb29f82..dea59fc8 100644
--- a/examples/lang/sendrecv1.mcl
+++ b/examples/lang/sendrecv1.mcl
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import "world"
 
 $ns = "estate"
 $exchanged = world.kvlookup($ns)
-$state = map_lookup_optional($exchanged, $hostname, "default")
+$state = $exchanged[$hostname] || "default"
 
 exec "exec0" {
 	cmd => "echo hello world && echo goodbye world 1>&2", # to stdout && stderr
diff --git a/examples/lang/states0.mcl b/examples/lang/states0.mcl
index f7c3dc65..0b5a0ac3 100644
--- a/examples/lang/states0.mcl
+++ b/examples/lang/states0.mcl
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import "world"
 
 $ns = "estate"
 $exchanged = world.kvlookup($ns)
-$state = map_lookup_optional($exchanged, $hostname, "default")
+$state = $exchanged[$hostname] || "default"
 
 if $state == "one" or $state == "default" {
 
diff --git a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc1/slow_unification0.txtar b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc1/slow_unification0.txtar
index 0afe342b..43d1a1f4 100644
--- a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc1/slow_unification0.txtar
+++ b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc1/slow_unification0.txtar
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import "world"
 
 $ns = "estate"
 $exchanged = world.kvlookup($ns)
-$state = map_lookup_optional($exchanged, $hostname, "default")
+$state = $exchanged[$hostname] || "default"
 
 if $state == "one" or $state == "default" {
 
diff --git a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/complex-example.txtar b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/complex-example.txtar
index f073a967..aa150f15 100644
--- a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/complex-example.txtar
+++ b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/complex-example.txtar
@@ -16,10 +16,8 @@ $generate = func($idn) {
 
 $foo = iter.map([$id1, $id2,], $generate)
 
-#test $foo[0] {}
-#test $foo[1] {}
-test list_lookup_optional($foo, 0, "fail") {} # TODO: add syntactic sugar for list_lookup_optional
-test list_lookup_optional($foo, 1, "fail") {} # TODO: add syntactic sugar for list_lookup_optional
+test $foo[0] || "fail" {}
+test $foo[1] || "fail" {}
 -- OUTPUT --
 Vertex: test[foo]
 Vertex: test[foofoo]
diff --git a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/listlookup.txtar b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/listlookup.txtar
index ab6a92db..82368452 100644
--- a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/listlookup.txtar
+++ b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/listlookup.txtar
@@ -3,12 +3,10 @@ $l1 = ["a", "b", "c",]
 
 $l2 = [$l1, ["hello", "world",],]
 
-#test $l1[0] {}
-#test $l1[1] {}
-test list_lookup_optional($l1, 0, "fail") {} # TODO: add syntactic sugar for list_lookup_optional
-test list_lookup_optional($l1, 2, "fail") {} # TODO: add syntactic sugar for list_lookup_optional
-test list_lookup_optional($l1, 3, "pass") {} # TODO: add syntactic sugar for list_lookup_optional
-test list_lookup_optional($l2, 1, ["fail",]) {} # TODO: add syntactic sugar for list_lookup_optional
+test $l1[0] || "fail" {}
+test $l1[2] || "fail" {}
+test $l1[3] || "pass" {}
+test $l2[1] || ["fail",] {}
 -- OUTPUT --
 Vertex: test[a]
 Vertex: test[c]
diff --git a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/maplookup0.txtar b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/maplookup0.txtar
index cfda5f69..3dc5aa47 100644
--- a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/maplookup0.txtar
+++ b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/maplookup0.txtar
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 -- main.mcl --
 $map1 map{int: str} = {42 => "hello1",}
-test map_lookup_optional($map1, 42, "not found") {}
+test $map1[42] || "not found" {}
 
 $map2 map{int: str} = {42 => "hello2",}
-test map_lookup_optional($map2, 13, "world2") {}
+test $map2[13] || "world2" {}
 
 $map3 = {42 => "hello3",}
-test map_lookup_optional($map3, 42, "not found") {}
+test $map3[42] || "not found" {}
 
 $map4 = {42 => "hello4",}
-test map_lookup_optional($map4, 13, "world4") {}
+test $map4[13] || "world4" {}
 -- OUTPUT --
 Vertex: test[hello1]
 Vertex: test[hello3]
diff --git a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/very-complex-example.txtar b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/very-complex-example.txtar
index 1e60037c..12505467 100644
--- a/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/very-complex-example.txtar
+++ b/lang/interpret_test/TestAstFunc2/very-complex-example.txtar
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ $generate = func($idn) {
 # this code should be rejected during type unification
 $foo = iter.map([$id1, $id2,], $generate)
 
-#test $foo[0] {}
-test list_lookup_optional($foo, 0, "fail") {} # TODO: add syntactic sugar for list_lookup_optional
+test $foo[0] || "fail" {}
 -- OUTPUT --
 # err: errUnify: can't unify, invariant illogicality with equals: base kind does not match (Str != Int)
diff --git a/test/shell/env0.mcl b/test/shell/env0.mcl
index a3730087..e259c0ab 100644
--- a/test/shell/env0.mcl
+++ b/test/shell/env0.mcl
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ $t = sys.hasenv("TEST")
 $f = sys.hasenv("DOESNOTEXIST")
 
 $env = sys.env()
-$m = map_lookup_optional($env, "TEST", "321")
+$m = $env["TEST"] || "321"
 
 file "${tmpdir}/environ" {
 	state => $const.res.file.state.exists,