4 files changed, 70 insertions, 4 deletions

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b34db7c4..f788baa1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ var result = UglifyJS.minify({"foo.js" : "if (0) else console.log(1);"});
 console.log(JSON.stringify(result.error));
 // {"message":"Unexpected token: keyword (else)","filename":"foo.js","line":1,"col":7,"pos":7}
 ```
-Note: unlike `uglify-js@2.x`, the `3.x` API does not throw errors. To 
+Note: unlike `uglify-js@2.x`, the `3.x` API does not throw errors. To
 achieve a similar effect one could do the following:
 ```javascript
 var result = UglifyJS.minify(code, options);
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ if (result.error) throw result.error;
 
 ## Minify options
 
-- `warnings` (default `false`) — pass `true` to return compressor warnings 
+- `warnings` (default `false`) — pass `true` to return compressor warnings
   in `result.warnings`. Use the value `"verbose"` for more detailed warnings.
 
 - `parse` (default `{}`) — pass an object if you wish to specify some
@@ -542,7 +542,7 @@ If you're using the `X-SourceMap` header instead, you can just omit `sourceMap.u
 - `cascade` -- small optimization for sequences, transform `x, x` into `x`
   and `x = something(), x` into `x = something()`
 
-- `collapse_vars` -- Collapse single-use non-constant variables - side 
+- `collapse_vars` -- Collapse single-use non-constant variables - side
   effects permitting.
 
 - `reduce_vars` -- Improve optimization on variables assigned with and
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ You can also use conditional compilation via the programmatic API. With the diff
 property name is `global_defs` and is a compressor property:
 
 ```javascript
-var result = uglifyJS.minify(fs.readFileSync("input.js", "utf8"), {
+var result = UglifyJS.minify(fs.readFileSync("input.js", "utf8"), {
     compress: {
         dead_code: true,
         global_defs: {
@@ -796,6 +796,32 @@ var result = uglifyJS.minify(fs.readFileSync("input.js", "utf8"), {
 });
 ```
 
+To replace an identifier with an arbitrary non-constant expression it is
+necessary to prefix the `global_defs` key with `"@"` to instruct UglifyJS
+to parse the value as an expression:
+```javascript
+UglifyJS.minify("alert('hello');", {
+    compress: {
+        global_defs: {
+            "@alert": "console.log"
+        }
+    }
+}).code;
+// returns: 'console.log("hello");'
+```
+
+Otherwise it would be replaced as string literal:
+```javascript
+UglifyJS.minify("alert('hello');", {
+    compress: {
+        global_defs: {
+            "alert": "console.log"
+        }
+    }
+}).code;
+// returns: '"console.log"("hello");'
+```
+
 ### Using native Uglify AST with `minify()`
 ```javascript
 // example: parse only, produce native Uglify AST
diff --git a/lib/compress.js b/lib/compress.js
index 73ab21f4..a2f8f267 100644
--- a/lib/compress.js
+++ b/lib/compress.js
@@ -87,6 +87,17 @@ function Compressor(options, false_by_default) {
         unused        : !false_by_default,
         warnings      : false,
     }, true);
+    var global_defs = this.options["global_defs"];
+    if (typeof global_defs == "object") for (var key in global_defs) {
+        if (/^@/.test(key) && HOP(global_defs, key)) {
+            var ast = parse(global_defs[key]);
+            if (ast.body.length == 1 && ast.body[0] instanceof AST_SimpleStatement) {
+                global_defs[key.slice(1)] = ast.body[0].body;
+            } else throw new Error(string_template("Can't handle expression: {value}", {
+                value: global_defs[key]
+            }));
+        }
+    }
     var pure_funcs = this.options["pure_funcs"];
     if (typeof pure_funcs == "function") {
         this.pure_funcs = pure_funcs;
diff --git a/test/compress/global_defs.js b/test/compress/global_defs.js
index bfd1d5f6..d784d335 100644
--- a/test/compress/global_defs.js
+++ b/test/compress/global_defs.js
@@ -160,3 +160,17 @@ issue_1801: {
         console.log(!0);
     }
 }
+
+issue_1986: {
+    options = {
+        global_defs: {
+            "@alert": "console.log",
+        },
+    }
+    input: {
+        alert(42);
+    }
+    expect: {
+        console.log(42);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/test/mocha/minify.js b/test/mocha/minify.js
index 7812fe6b..99771755 100644
--- a/test/mocha/minify.js
+++ b/test/mocha/minify.js
@@ -181,4 +181,19 @@ describe("minify", function() {
             assert.strictEqual(err.col, 12);
         });
     });
+
+    describe("global_defs", function() {
+        it("should throw for non-trivial expressions", function() {
+            var result = Uglify.minify("alert(42);", {
+                compress: {
+                    global_defs: {
+                        "@alert": "debugger"
+                    }
+                }
+            });
+            var err = result.error;
+            assert.ok(err instanceof Error);
+            assert.strictEqual(err.stack.split(/\n/)[0], "Error: Can't handle expression: debugger");
+        });
+    });
 });