diff --git a/lib/less/parser.js b/lib/less/parser.js
index 90f794c6..3bbdd8a8 100644
--- a/lib/less/parser.js
+++ b/lib/less/parser.js
@@ -66,14 +66,14 @@ function peek(tok) {
 //
 // Parse from a token, regexp or string, and move forward if match
 //
-function $(tok, root) {
+function $(tok) {
     var match, args, length, c, index, endIndex;
 
     //
     // Non-terminal
     //
     if (tok instanceof Function) {
-        return tok.call(less.parser.parsers, root);
+        return tok.call(less.parser.parsers);
     //
     // Terminal
     //
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ less.parser = {
         }
 
         // Start with the primary rule
-        root = new(tree.Ruleset)([], $(this.parsers.primary, []));
+        root = new(tree.Ruleset)([], $(this.parsers.primary));
         root.root = true;
 
         // If `i` is smaller than the input length - 1,
@@ -186,12 +186,12 @@ less.parser = {
         return root;
     },
     parsers: {
-        primary: function (root) {
-            var node;
+        primary: function () {
+            var node, root = [];
 
-            while (node = $(this.mixin.definition, []) || $(this.ruleset, []) || $(this.rule) ||
-                          $(this.mixin.call)           || $(this.comment)     ||
-                          $(/[\n\s]+/g)                || $(this.directive, [])) {
+            while (node = $(this.mixin.definition) || $(this.ruleset) || $(this.rule) ||
+                          $(this.mixin.call)       || $(this.comment) ||
+                          $(/[\n\s]+/g)            || $(this.directive)) {
                 root.push(node);
             }
             return root;
@@ -260,19 +260,17 @@ less.parser = {
             },
             font: function () {
             },
-            variable: function (def) {
+            variable: function () {
                 var name;
 
-                if (input[i] !== '@') return;
-
-                if (def && (name = $(/(@[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+)\s*:/g))) { return name[1] }
-                else if (!def && (name = $(/@[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+/g))) { return new(tree.Variable)(name) }
+                if (input[i] === '@' && (name = $(/@[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+/g))) {
+                    return new(tree.Variable)(name);
+                }
             },
             color: function () {
                 var rgb;
 
-                if (input[i] !== '#') return;
-                if (rgb = $(/#([a-fA-F0-9]{6}|[a-fA-F0-9]{3})/g)) {
+                if (input[i] === '#' && (rgb = $(/#([a-fA-F0-9]{6}|[a-fA-F0-9]{3})/g))) {
                     return new(tree.Color)(rgb[1]);
                 }
             },
@@ -285,6 +283,11 @@ less.parser = {
                 }
             }
         },
+        variable: function () {
+            var name;
+
+            if (input[i] === '@' && (name = $(/(@[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+)\s*:/g))) { return name[1] }
+        },
         mixin: {
             call: function () {
                 var elements = [], e, c, args;
@@ -299,7 +302,7 @@ less.parser = {
                     return new(tree.mixin.Call)(elements, args);
                 }
             },
-            definition: function (root) {
+            definition: function () {
                 var name, params = [], match, ruleset, param, value;
 
                 if (input[i] !== '.' || peek(/[^{]*(;|})/g)) return;
@@ -321,7 +324,7 @@ less.parser = {
                     }
                     if (! $(')')) throw new(Error)("Expected )");
 
-                    ruleset = $(this.block, root);
+                    ruleset = $(this.block);
 
                     if (ruleset) {
                         return new(tree.mixin.Definition)(name, params, ruleset);
@@ -330,16 +333,10 @@ less.parser = {
             }
         },
         entity: function () {
-            var entities = [
-                "url", "variable", "call", "accessor",
-                "keyword",  "literal", "font"
-            ], e;
+            var e;
 
-            for (var i = 0; i < entities.length; i++) {
-                if (e = $(this.entities[entities[i]])) {
-                    return e;
-                }
-            }
+            if (e = $(this.entities.literal) || $(this.entities.variable) || $(this.entities.url) ||
+                    $(this.entities.call)    || $(this.entities.keyword)) { return e }
         },
         end: function () {
             return $(';') || peek('}');
@@ -395,14 +392,14 @@ less.parser = {
 
             if (attr) { return "[" + attr + "]" }
         },
-        block: function (node) {
+        block: function () {
             var content;
 
-            if ($('{') && (content = $(this.primary, node)) && $('}')) {
+            if ($('{') && (content = $(this.primary)) && $('}')) {
                 return content;
             }
         },
-        ruleset: function (root) {
+        ruleset: function () {
             var selectors = [], s, rules, match;
 
             if (peek(/[^{]+[@;}]/g)) return;
@@ -418,7 +415,7 @@ less.parser = {
                 if (s) $(this.comment);
             }
 
-            rules = $(this.block, root);
+            rules = $(this.block);
 
             if (selectors.length > 0 && rules) {
                 return new(tree.Ruleset)(selectors, rules);
@@ -427,7 +424,7 @@ less.parser = {
         rule: function () {
             var name, value, match;
 
-            if (name = $(this.property) || $(this.entities.variable, true)) {
+            if (name = $(this.property) || $(this.variable)) {
                 if ((name[0] != '@') && (match = peek(/([^@+\/*(;{}-]*);[\s\n]*/g))) {
                     i += match[0].length;
                     return new(tree.Rule)(name, match[1]);
@@ -436,19 +433,19 @@ less.parser = {
                 }
             }
         },
-        directive: function (root) {
+        directive: function () {
             var name, value, rules, types;
 
             if (input[i] !== '@') return;
 
             if (name = $(/@media|@page/g)) {
                 types = $(/[a-z:, ]+/g);
-                if (rules = $(this.block, root)) {
+                if (rules = $(this.block)) {
                     return new(tree.Directive)(name + " " + types, rules);
                 }
             } else if (name = $(/@[-a-z]+/g)) {
                 if (name === '@font-face') {
-                    if (rules = $(this.block, root)) {
+                    if (rules = $(this.block)) {
                         return new(tree.Directive)(name, rules);
                     }
                 } else if ((value = $(this.entity)) && $(';')) {