diff --git a/pkg/urbit/ur/hashcons.c b/pkg/urbit/ur/hashcons.c
index 756c92f6df..f00a8be5a7 100644
--- a/pkg/urbit/ur/hashcons.c
+++ b/pkg/urbit/ur/hashcons.c
@@ -505,65 +505,37 @@ ur_bytes(ur_root_t *r, ur_nref ref, uint8_t **byt, uint64_t *len)
 uint64_t
 ur_met(ur_root_t *r, uint8_t bloq, ur_nref ref)
 {
+  uint64_t m_bit;
+
+  //  XX return bool for cells, length in out parameter
+  //
   assert( !ur_deep(ref) );
 
-  //  these cases are the same, except for the
-  //  bit-width calculation and the width of their operands
-  //
-  switch ( ur_nref_tag(ref) ) {
-    default: assert(0);
+  if ( ur_direct == ur_nref_tag(ref) ) {
+    m_bit = ur_met0_64(ref);
+  }
+  else {
+    uint64_t idx = ur_nref_idx(ref);
+    uint64_t len = r->atoms.lens[idx];
+    uint8_t *byt = r->atoms.bytes[idx];
 
-    case ur_direct: {
-      uint8_t m_bit = ur_met0_64(ref);
+    m_bit = ur_met0_bytes_unsafe(len, byt);
+  }
 
-      switch ( bloq ) {
-        case 0: return m_bit;
-        case 1: return (m_bit + 1) >> 1;
-        case 2: return (m_bit + 3) >> 2;
+  switch ( bloq ) {
+    case 0: return m_bit;
+    case 1: return ur_bloq_up1(m_bit);
+    case 2: return ur_bloq_up2(m_bit);
 
-        {
-          //  hand-inline of ur_met3_64
-          //
-          uint8_t m_byt = (m_bit >> 3) + !!ur_mask_3(m_bit);
+    {
+      uint64_t m_byt = ur_bloq_up3(m_bit);
 
-          case 3: return m_byt;
-          default: {
-            uint8_t off = (bloq - 3);
-            return (m_byt + ((1 << off) - 1)) >> off;
-          }
-        }
+      case 3: return m_byt;
+      default: {
+        uint8_t off = (bloq - 3);
+        return (m_byt + ((1ULL << off) - 1)) >> off;
       }
-    } break;
-
-    case ur_iatom: {
-      uint64_t m_bit;
-
-      {
-        uint64_t idx = ur_nref_idx(ref);
-        uint64_t len = r->atoms.lens[idx];
-        uint8_t *byt = r->atoms.bytes[idx];
-
-        m_bit = ur_met0_bytes_unsafe(len, byt);
-      }
-
-      switch ( bloq ) {
-        case 0: return m_bit;
-        case 1: return (m_bit + 1) >> 1;
-        case 2: return (m_bit + 3) >> 2;
-
-        {
-          //  hand-inline of ur_met3_64
-          //
-          uint64_t m_byt = (m_bit >> 3) + !!ur_mask_3(m_bit);
-
-          case 3: return m_byt;
-          default: {
-            uint8_t off = (bloq - 3);
-            return (m_byt + ((1ULL << off) - 1)) >> off;
-          }
-        }
-      }
-    } break;
+    }
   }
 }