diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/experimental/semmle/code/cpp/semantic/SemanticExprSpecific.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/experimental/semmle/code/cpp/semantic/SemanticExprSpecific.qll
index d5ddd1c6969..3ed2c49e5c0 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/experimental/semmle/code/cpp/semantic/SemanticExprSpecific.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/experimental/semmle/code/cpp/semantic/SemanticExprSpecific.qll
@@ -292,22 +292,20 @@ module SemanticExprConfig {
 
   class Guard = IRGuards::IRGuardCondition;
 
-  predicate guard(Guard guard, BasicBlock block) {
-    block = guard.(IRGuards::IRGuardCondition).getBlock()
-  }
+  predicate guard(Guard guard, BasicBlock block) { block = guard.getBlock() }
 
   Expr getGuardAsExpr(Guard guard) { result = guard }
 
   predicate equalityGuard(Guard guard, Expr e1, Expr e2, boolean polarity) {
-    guard.(IRGuards::IRGuardCondition).comparesEq(e1.getAUse(), e2.getAUse(), 0, true, polarity)
+    guard.comparesEq(e1.getAUse(), e2.getAUse(), 0, true, polarity)
   }
 
   predicate guardDirectlyControlsBlock(Guard guard, BasicBlock controlled, boolean branch) {
-    guard.(IRGuards::IRGuardCondition).controls(controlled, branch)
+    guard.controls(controlled, branch)
   }
 
   predicate guardHasBranchEdge(Guard guard, BasicBlock bb1, BasicBlock bb2, boolean branch) {
-    guard.(IRGuards::IRGuardCondition).controlsEdge(bb1, bb2, branch)
+    guard.controlsEdge(bb1, bb2, branch)
   }
 
   Guard comparisonGuard(Expr e) { result = e }
diff --git a/cpp/ql/src/experimental/Security/CWE/CWE-190/DangerousUseOfTransformationAfterOperation.ql b/cpp/ql/src/experimental/Security/CWE/CWE-190/DangerousUseOfTransformationAfterOperation.ql
index f86e82f2c97..026c279de7c 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/src/experimental/Security/CWE/CWE-190/DangerousUseOfTransformationAfterOperation.ql
+++ b/cpp/ql/src/experimental/Security/CWE/CWE-190/DangerousUseOfTransformationAfterOperation.ql
@@ -44,11 +44,8 @@ predicate conversionDoneLate(MulExpr mexp) {
       mexp.getEnclosingElement().(ComparisonOperation).hasOperands(mexp, e0) and
       e0.getType().getSize() = mexp.getConversion().getConversion().getType().getSize()
       or
-      e0.(FunctionCall)
-          .getTarget()
-          .getParameter(argumentPosition(e0.(FunctionCall), mexp, _))
-          .getType()
-          .getSize() = mexp.getConversion().getConversion().getType().getSize()
+      e0.(FunctionCall).getTarget().getParameter(argumentPosition(e0, mexp, _)).getType().getSize() =
+        mexp.getConversion().getConversion().getType().getSize()
     )
   )
 }
diff --git a/java/ql/lib/semmle/code/java/dataflow/internal/rangeanalysis/SignAnalysisCommon.qll b/java/ql/lib/semmle/code/java/dataflow/internal/rangeanalysis/SignAnalysisCommon.qll
index 5a3b4f63d9f..98bbd675660 100644
--- a/java/ql/lib/semmle/code/java/dataflow/internal/rangeanalysis/SignAnalysisCommon.qll
+++ b/java/ql/lib/semmle/code/java/dataflow/internal/rangeanalysis/SignAnalysisCommon.qll
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ Sign exprSign(Expr e) {
       exists(VarAccess access | access = e |
         not exists(SsaVariable v | getARead(v) = access) and
         (
-          s = fieldSign(getField(access.(FieldAccess)))
+          s = fieldSign(getField(access))
           or
           anySign(s) and not access instanceof FieldAccess
         )