diff --git a/src/dec/decode.rs b/src/dec/decode.rs
index edde630..89f704e 100644
--- a/src/dec/decode.rs
+++ b/src/dec/decode.rs
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ impl<'a> From<nom::Err<nom::error::Error<&'a [u8]>>> for DecodeError<'a> {
 // ----
 
 /// Decodes a NetText string into the term it represents.
-pub fn decode<'a>(input: &'a [u8]) -> DecodeResult<'a, Term<'a, 'static>> {
+pub fn decode(input: &[u8]) -> DecodeResult<'_, Term<'_, 'static>> {
     let (rest, term) = decode_term(input)?;
     let (end, _) = take_while(is_whitespace)(rest)?;
     if !end.is_empty() {
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ pub fn decode<'a>(input: &'a [u8]) -> DecodeResult<'a, Term<'a, 'static>> {
     Ok(Term(term))
 }
 
-fn decode_term<'a>(input: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], AnyTerm<'a, 'static>> {
+fn decode_term(input: &[u8]) -> IResult<&'_ [u8], AnyTerm<'_, 'static>> {
     eprintln!("DT: `{}`", debug(input));
     let (start, _) = take_while(is_whitespace)(input)?;
     eprintln!("DT2: `{}`", debug(start));
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ fn decode_term<'a>(input: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], AnyTerm<'a, 'static>> {
     }
 }
 
-fn decode_nonlist_term<'a>(input: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], NonListTerm<'a, 'static>> {
+fn decode_nonlist_term(input: &[u8]) -> IResult<&'_ [u8], NonListTerm<'_, 'static>> {
     eprintln!("DNLT: `{}`", debug(input));
     let (rest, term) = alt((
         map(decode_str, NonListTerm::Str),
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ fn decode_nonlist_term<'a>(input: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], NonListTerm<'a,
     Ok((rest, term))
 }
 
-fn decode_str<'a>(input: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], &'a [u8]> {
+fn decode_str(input: &[u8]) -> IResult<&'_ [u8], &'_ [u8]> {
     eprintln!("DS: `{}`", debug(input));
     let (rest, data) = take_while1(is_string_char)(input)?;
     Ok((rest, data))
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ fn decode_str<'a>(input: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], &'a [u8]> {
 
 type DictType<'a> = (&'a [u8], HashMap<&'a [u8], AnyTerm<'a, 'static>>);
 
-fn decode_dict<'a>(dict_begin: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], DictType<'a>> {
+fn decode_dict(dict_begin: &[u8]) -> IResult<&'_ [u8], DictType<'_>> {
     eprintln!("DDbegin: `{}`", debug(dict_begin));
     let (d, _) = tag(DICT_OPEN)(dict_begin)?;
     eprintln!("DD2: `{}`", debug(d));
@@ -117,13 +117,13 @@ fn decode_dict<'a>(dict_begin: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], DictType<'a>> {
     Ok((dict_end, (dict_raw, dict)))
 }
 
-fn dict_separator<'a>(d: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], ()> {
+fn dict_separator(d: &[u8]) -> IResult<&'_ [u8], ()> {
     let (d, _) = take_while(is_whitespace)(d)?;
     let (d, _) = tag(DICT_DELIM)(d)?;
     Ok((d, ()))
 }
 
-fn decode_dict_item<'a>(d: &'a [u8]) -> IResult<&'a [u8], (&'a [u8], AnyTerm<'a, 'static>)> {
+fn decode_dict_item(d: &[u8]) -> IResult<&'_ [u8], (&'_ [u8], AnyTerm<'_, 'static>)> {
     eprintln!("DDI: `{}`", debug(d));
     let (d, _) = take_while(is_whitespace)(d)?;
     eprintln!("DDI1: `{}`", debug(d));
diff --git a/src/dec/mod.rs b/src/dec/mod.rs
index 8731a26..9c1e7d7 100644
--- a/src/dec/mod.rs
+++ b/src/dec/mod.rs
@@ -199,17 +199,15 @@ impl<'a, 'b> Term<'a, 'b> {
     /// ```
     pub fn list_of_first<const N: usize>(&self) -> Result<[Term<'a, '_>; N], TypeError> {
         match self.0.mkref() {
-            AnyTerm::ListRef(raw, list) => {
-                if list.len() < N {
-                    Err(TypeError::WrongLength(list.len(), N))
-                } else if list.len() == N {
-                    Ok(list
-                        .iter()
-                        .map(|x| Term(x.mkref().into()))
-                        .collect::<Vec<_>>()
-                        .try_into()
-                        .unwrap())
-                } else {
+            AnyTerm::ListRef(raw, list) => match list.len().cmp(&N) {
+                std::cmp::Ordering::Less => Err(TypeError::WrongLength(list.len(), N)),
+                std::cmp::Ordering::Equal => Ok(list
+                    .iter()
+                    .map(|x| Term(x.mkref().into()))
+                    .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+                    .try_into()
+                    .unwrap()),
+                std::cmp::Ordering::Greater => {
                     let mut ret = Vec::with_capacity(N);
                     for item in list[0..N - 1].iter() {
                         ret.push(Term(item.mkref().into()));
@@ -227,7 +225,7 @@ impl<'a, 'b> Term<'a, 'b> {
 
                     Ok(ret.try_into().unwrap())
                 }
-            }
+            },
             x if N == 1 => Ok([Term(x)]
                 .into_iter()
                 .collect::<Vec<_>>()
@@ -342,7 +340,7 @@ impl<'a, 'b> AnyTerm<'a, 'b> {
     fn mkref(&self) -> AnyTerm<'a, '_> {
         match &self {
             AnyTerm::Str(s) => AnyTerm::Str(s),
-            AnyTerm::Dict(r, d) => AnyTerm::DictRef(r, &d),
+            AnyTerm::Dict(r, d) => AnyTerm::DictRef(r, d),
             AnyTerm::DictRef(r, d) => AnyTerm::DictRef(r, d),
             AnyTerm::List(r, l) => AnyTerm::ListRef(r, &l[..]),
             AnyTerm::ListRef(r, l) => AnyTerm::ListRef(r, l),
@@ -361,7 +359,7 @@ impl<'a, 'b> NonListTerm<'a, 'b> {
     fn mkref(&self) -> NonListTerm<'a, '_> {
         match &self {
             NonListTerm::Str(s) => NonListTerm::Str(s),
-            NonListTerm::Dict(r, d) => NonListTerm::DictRef(r, &d),
+            NonListTerm::Dict(r, d) => NonListTerm::DictRef(r, d),
             NonListTerm::DictRef(r, d) => NonListTerm::DictRef(r, d),
         }
     }
@@ -387,7 +385,7 @@ impl<'a, 'b> std::fmt::Display for Term<'a, 'b> {
 
 // ---- DEBUG REPR ----
 
-pub fn debug<'a>(x: &'a [u8]) -> &'a str {
+pub fn debug(x: &[u8]) -> &str {
     std::str::from_utf8(x).unwrap_or("<invalid ascii>")
 }