diff --git a/lcode.c b/lcode.c
index 8786a721..c25226ab 100644
--- a/lcode.c
+++ b/lcode.c
@@ -208,8 +208,7 @@ void luaK_ret (FuncState *fs, int first, int nret) {
     case 1: op = OP_RETURN1; break;
     default: op = OP_RETURN; break;
   }
-  if (nret + 1 > MAXARG_B)
-    luaX_syntaxerror(fs->ls, "too many returns");
+  luaY_checklimit(fs, nret + 1, MAXARG_B, "returns");
   luaK_codeABC(fs, op, first, nret + 1, 0);
 }
 
@@ -473,9 +472,7 @@ static int luaK_codek (FuncState *fs, int reg, int k) {
 void luaK_checkstack (FuncState *fs, int n) {
   int newstack = fs->freereg + n;
   if (newstack > fs->f->maxstacksize) {
-    if (newstack > MAX_FSTACK)
-      luaX_syntaxerror(fs->ls,
-        "function or expression needs too many registers");
+    luaY_checklimit(fs, newstack, MAX_FSTACK, "registers");
     fs->f->maxstacksize = cast_byte(newstack);
   }
 }
@@ -727,8 +724,7 @@ static void const2exp (TValue *v, expdesc *e) {
 */
 void luaK_setreturns (FuncState *fs, expdesc *e, int nresults) {
   Instruction *pc = &getinstruction(fs, e);
-  if (nresults + 1 > MAXARG_C)
-    luaX_syntaxerror(fs->ls, "too many multiple results");
+  luaY_checklimit(fs, nresults + 1, MAXARG_C, "multiple results");
   if (e->k == VCALL)  /* expression is an open function call? */
     SETARG_C(*pc, nresults + 1);
   else {
diff --git a/lparser.c b/lparser.c
index 452ab19e..b193b672 100644
--- a/lparser.c
+++ b/lparser.c
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ static l_noret errorlimit (FuncState *fs, int limit, const char *what) {
 }
 
 
-static void checklimit (FuncState *fs, int v, int l, const char *what) {
-  if (v > l) errorlimit(fs, l, what);
+void luaY_checklimit (FuncState *fs, int v, int l, const char *what) {
+  if (l_unlikely(v > l)) errorlimit(fs, l, what);
 }
 
 
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ static int new_localvarkind (LexState *ls, TString *name, lu_byte kind) {
   FuncState *fs = ls->fs;
   Dyndata *dyd = ls->dyd;
   Vardesc *var;
-  checklimit(fs, dyd->actvar.n + 1 - fs->firstlocal,
+  luaY_checklimit(fs, dyd->actvar.n + 1 - fs->firstlocal,
                  MAXVARS, "local variables");
   luaM_growvector(L, dyd->actvar.arr, dyd->actvar.n + 1,
                   dyd->actvar.size, Vardesc, USHRT_MAX, "local variables");
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ static int searchupvalue (FuncState *fs, TString *name) {
 static Upvaldesc *allocupvalue (FuncState *fs) {
   Proto *f = fs->f;
   int oldsize = f->sizeupvalues;
-  checklimit(fs, fs->nups + 1, MAXUPVAL, "upvalues");
+  luaY_checklimit(fs, fs->nups + 1, MAXUPVAL, "upvalues");
   luaM_growvector(fs->ls->L, f->upvalues, fs->nups, f->sizeupvalues,
                   Upvaldesc, MAXUPVAL, "upvalues");
   while (oldsize < f->sizeupvalues)
@@ -860,7 +860,7 @@ static void recfield (LexState *ls, ConsControl *cc) {
   lu_byte reg = ls->fs->freereg;
   expdesc tab, key, val;
   if (ls->t.token == TK_NAME) {
-    checklimit(fs, cc->nh, INT_MAX, "items in a constructor");
+    luaY_checklimit(fs, cc->nh, INT_MAX / 2, "items in a constructor");
     codename(ls, &key);
   }
   else  /* ls->t.token == '[' */
diff --git a/lparser.h b/lparser.h
index 535dc9da..8a87776d 100644
--- a/lparser.h
+++ b/lparser.h
@@ -164,6 +164,8 @@ typedef struct FuncState {
 
 
 LUAI_FUNC lu_byte luaY_nvarstack (FuncState *fs);
+LUAI_FUNC void luaY_checklimit (FuncState *fs, int v, int l,
+                                const char *what);
 LUAI_FUNC LClosure *luaY_parser (lua_State *L, ZIO *z, Mbuffer *buff,
                                  Dyndata *dyd, const char *name, int firstchar);