A nicer and more complete syntax for anonymous functions, or some reasonable equivalent (like JS arrow defns, or Ruby code blocks) might serve most of the same

A nicer and more complete syntax for anonymous functions, or some reasonable equivalent (like JS arrow defns, or Ruby code blocks) might serve most of the same needs as a full-blown macro facility, without some of the complications. It's pretty common in Ruby for libraries to define DSLs with syntax similar to what macros were used for in, say, '80s LISP code. (The nearest current Python equivalent is lambdas, but there are very awkward limits on the varieties of control structure they can contain.)