diff --git a/base/broadcast.jl b/base/broadcast.jl
index df840ae2916fa..c52192524b706 100644
--- a/base/broadcast.jl
+++ b/base/broadcast.jl
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ module Broadcast
 
 using ..Cartesian
 import Base.promote_eltype
+import Base.@get!
 import Base.num_bit_chunks, Base.@_msk_end, Base.getindex_unchecked
 import Base.(.+), Base.(.-), Base.(.*), Base.(./), Base.(.\)
 import Base.(.==), Base.(.<), Base.(.!=), Base.(.<=)
@@ -203,73 +204,31 @@ function gen_broadcast_function_tobitarray(genbody::Function, nd::Int, narrays::
     end
 end
 
-let broadcast_cache = Dict()
-global broadcast!
-function broadcast!(f::Function, B, As::Union(Array,BitArray)...)
-    nd = ndims(B)
-    narrays = length(As)
-    key = (f, nd, narrays)
-    if !haskey(broadcast_cache, key)
-        func = gen_broadcast_function(gen_broadcast_body_iter, nd, narrays, f)
-        broadcast_cache[key] = func
-    else
-        func = broadcast_cache[key]
-    end
-    func(B, As...)
-    B
-end
-end  # let broadcast_cache
-
-let broadcast_cache = Dict()
-global broadcast!
-function broadcast!(f::Function, B::BitArray, As::Union(Array,BitArray)...)
-    nd = ndims(B)
-    narrays = length(As)
-    key = (f, nd, narrays)
-    if !haskey(broadcast_cache, key)
-        func = gen_broadcast_function_tobitarray(gen_broadcast_body_iter_tobitarray, nd, narrays, f)
-        broadcast_cache[key] = func
-    else
-        func = broadcast_cache[key]
-    end
-    func(B, As...)
-    B
-end
-end  # let broadcast_cache
-
-let broadcast_cache = Dict()
-global broadcast!
-function broadcast!(f::Function, B, As...)
-    nd = ndims(B)
-    narrays = length(As)
-    key = (f, nd, narrays)
-    if !haskey(broadcast_cache, key)
-        func = gen_broadcast_function(gen_broadcast_body_cartesian, nd, narrays, f)
-        broadcast_cache[key] = func
-    else
-        func = broadcast_cache[key]
-    end
-    func(B, As...)
-    B
-end
-end  # let broadcast_cache
-
-let broadcast_cache = Dict()
-global broadcast!
-function broadcast!(f::Function, B::BitArray, As...)
-    nd = ndims(B)
-    narrays = length(As)
-    key = (f, nd, narrays)
-    if !haskey(broadcast_cache, key)
-        func = gen_broadcast_function_tobitarray(gen_broadcast_body_cartesian_tobitarray, nd, narrays, f)
-        broadcast_cache[key] = func
-    else
-        func = broadcast_cache[key]
-    end
-    func(B, As...)
-    B
+for (Bsig, Asig, gbf, gbb) in
+    ((BitArray                          , Union(Array,BitArray)                   ,
+      :gen_broadcast_function_tobitarray, :gen_broadcast_body_iter_tobitarray     ),
+     (Any                               , Union(Array,BitArray)                   ,
+      :gen_broadcast_function           , :gen_broadcast_body_iter                ),
+     (BitArray                          , Any                                     ,
+      :gen_broadcast_function_tobitarray, :gen_broadcast_body_cartesian_tobitarray),
+     (Any                               , Any                                     ,
+      :gen_broadcast_function           , :gen_broadcast_body_cartesian           ))
+
+    @eval let cache = Dict{Function,Dict{Int,Dict{Int,Function}}}()
+        global broadcast!
+        function broadcast!(f::Function, B::$Bsig, As::$Asig...)
+            nd = ndims(B)
+            narrays = length(As)
+
+            cache_f    = @get! cache      f       Dict{Int,Dict{Int,Function}}()
+            cache_f_na = @get! cache_f    narrays Dict{Int,Function}()
+            func       = @get! cache_f_na nd      $gbf($gbb, nd, narrays, f)
+
+            func(B, As...)
+            B
+        end
+    end  # let broadcast_cache
 end
-end  # let broadcast_cache
 
 
 broadcast(f::Function, As...) = broadcast!(f, Array(promote_eltype(As...), broadcast_shape(As...)), As...)
diff --git a/base/dict.jl b/base/dict.jl
index 43f9b70592dcc..945a4faa48df2 100644
--- a/base/dict.jl
+++ b/base/dict.jl
@@ -561,6 +561,26 @@ function get!{K,V}(default::Function, h::Dict{K,V}, key0)
     return v
 end
 
+# NOTE: this macro is specific to Dict, not Associative, and should
+#       therefore not be exported as-is: it's for internal use only.
+macro get!(h, key0, default)
+    quote
+        K, V = eltype($(esc(h)))
+        key = convert(K, $(esc(key0)))
+        isequal(key, $(esc(key0))) || error($(esc(key0)), " is not a valid key for type ", K)
+        idx = ht_keyindex2($(esc(h)), key)
+        if idx < 0
+            idx = -idx
+            v = convert(V, $(esc(default)))
+            _setindex!($(esc(h)), v, key, idx)
+        else
+            @inbounds v = $(esc(h)).vals[idx]
+        end
+        v
+    end
+end
+
+
 function getindex{K,V}(h::Dict{K,V}, key)
     index = ht_keyindex(h, key)
     return (index<0) ? throw(KeyError(key)) : h.vals[index]::V