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@screwtape @AmenZwa
I just noticed I've had a 1977 Multics MACLISP "hackery" window open since last year, I don't remember why.

If you're interested in this bit of history:

The Multics MACLISP Compiler
The Basic Hackery -- a Tutorial
By Bernard S. Greenberg, December, 1977 [updated to HTML 1996]
"...this paper still presents one of very few accounts of powerful compilation techniques for Lisp on so-called "stock architectures,"...

"To those LISPmen who have achieved proficiency in this our chosen language, and who have wondered about the strategies of the MACLISP compilers, I offer this tutorial, wherein I divulge the basic hacks of the Multics Compiler (lcp). Many of these hacks, including the entire first pass, were derived from the ITS Compiler (COMPLR, now NCOMPLR (or NCOMPL)), a much, much, hairier beast of which I have not yet achieved mastery. By learning that which I offer herein, the ambitious LISPman might not only acquire sufficient knowledge to modify or debug the Multics Compiler, but undertake the serious study of NCOMPLR. In fact, the state management hacks presented herein are of great interest in comparison to those of other modern compilers, e.g., Multics PL/I. He who comprehends this will also glean generally powerful knowledge of compiler-writing techniques in general, and will have interesting and useful knowledge under his belt.

"If you are not already familiar with LISP, in some detail, including the traditional implementations and value/object issues, you probably should not be reading this."

https://www.multicians.org/lcp.html