diff --git a/xo-expression2/utest/CMakeLists.txt b/xo-expression2/utest/CMakeLists.txt
index deb1d25a..07f10c3b 100644
--- a/xo-expression2/utest/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/xo-expression2/utest/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -14,4 +14,5 @@ set(UTEST_SRCS
 
 xo_add_utest_executable(${UTEST_EXE} ${UTEST_SRCS})
 xo_self_dependency(${UTEST_EXE} xo_expression2)
+xo_dependency(${UTEST_EXE} xo_numeric)
 xo_external_target_dependency(${UTEST_EXE} Catch2 Catch2::Catch2)
diff --git a/xo-expression2/utest/DApplyExpr.test.cpp b/xo-expression2/utest/DApplyExpr.test.cpp
index f217d47e..1b922333 100644
--- a/xo-expression2/utest/DApplyExpr.test.cpp
+++ b/xo-expression2/utest/DApplyExpr.test.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 #include <xo/expression2/detail/IPrintable_DApplyExpr.hpp>
 #include <xo/expression2/detail/IPrintable_DConstant.hpp>
 
+#include <xo/numeric/NumericPrimitives.hpp>
+
 #include <xo/procedure2/init_primitives.hpp>
 #include <xo/procedure2/detail/IGCObject_DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco.hpp>
 #include <xo/procedure2/detail/IPrintable_DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco.hpp>
@@ -40,6 +42,7 @@ namespace ut {
     using xo::scm::DFloat;
     using xo::scm::AExpression;
     using xo::scm::TypeRef;
+    using xo::scm::NumericPrimitives;
     using xo::scm::Primitives;
     using xo::scm::DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco;
     using xo::mm::CollectorTypeRegistry;
@@ -89,7 +92,7 @@ namespace ut {
         REQUIRE(ok);
 
         // wrap primitive as GCObject, then as expression
-        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&Primitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
+        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
         obj<AExpression,DConstant> fn_expr = DConstant::make(alloc, prim_gco);
         REQUIRE(fn_expr.data() != nullptr);
 
@@ -128,7 +131,7 @@ namespace ut {
         bool ok = CollectorTypeRegistry::instance().install_types(coll);
         REQUIRE(ok);
 
-        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&Primitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
+        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
         obj<AExpression,DConstant> fn_expr = DConstant::make(alloc, prim_gco);
 
         obj<AGCObject> val1 = DFloat::box<AGCObject>(alloc, 3.0);
@@ -163,7 +166,7 @@ namespace ut {
         bool ok = CollectorTypeRegistry::instance().install_types(coll);
         REQUIRE(ok);
 
-        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&Primitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
+        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
         obj<AExpression,DConstant> fn_expr = DConstant::make(alloc, prim_gco);
 
         obj<AGCObject> val1 = DFloat::box<AGCObject>(alloc, 3.0);
@@ -198,7 +201,7 @@ namespace ut {
         bool ok = CollectorTypeRegistry::instance().install_types(coll);
         REQUIRE(ok);
 
-        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&Primitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
+        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
         obj<AExpression,DConstant> fn_expr = DConstant::make(alloc, prim_gco);
 
         obj<AGCObject> val1 = DFloat::box<AGCObject>(alloc, 3.0);
@@ -236,7 +239,7 @@ namespace ut {
         bool ok = CollectorTypeRegistry::instance().install_types(coll);
         REQUIRE(ok);
 
-        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&Primitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
+        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
         obj<AExpression,DConstant> fn_expr = DConstant::make(alloc, prim_gco);
 
         obj<AGCObject> val1 = DFloat::box<AGCObject>(alloc, 3.0);
@@ -280,7 +283,7 @@ namespace ut {
         bool ok = CollectorTypeRegistry::instance().install_types(coll);
         REQUIRE(ok);
 
-        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&Primitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
+        obj<AGCObject> prim_gco = with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj(&NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm);
         obj<AExpression,DConstant> fn_expr = DConstant::make(alloc, prim_gco);
 
         obj<AGCObject> val1 = DFloat::box<AGCObject>(alloc, 3.0);
diff --git a/xo-numeric/include/xo/numeric/NumericPrimitives.hpp b/xo-numeric/include/xo/numeric/NumericPrimitives.hpp
index 376f94b9..3eab681a 100644
--- a/xo-numeric/include/xo/numeric/NumericPrimitives.hpp
+++ b/xo-numeric/include/xo/numeric/NumericPrimitives.hpp
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ namespace xo {
          **/
         class NumericPrimitives {
         public:
-            /** poly divide **/
+            /** polymorphic (in both arguments) multiply **/
+            static DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco s_mul_gco_gco_pm;
+            /** polymorphic (in both arguments) divide **/
             static DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco s_div_gco_gco_pm;
         };
     }
diff --git a/xo-numeric/src/numeric/NumericPrimitives.cpp b/xo-numeric/src/numeric/NumericPrimitives.cpp
index 5666a751..a17de848 100644
--- a/xo-numeric/src/numeric/NumericPrimitives.cpp
+++ b/xo-numeric/src/numeric/NumericPrimitives.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ namespace xo {
 
     namespace scm {
 
+        DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco
+        NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm("_mul",
+                                            &NumericDispatch::multiply);
+
         DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco
         NumericPrimitives::s_div_gco_gco_pm("_div",
                                             &NumericDispatch::divide);
diff --git a/xo-procedure2/include/xo/procedure2/init_primitives.hpp b/xo-procedure2/include/xo/procedure2/init_primitives.hpp
index 6747fa6b..562a984c 100644
--- a/xo-procedure2/include/xo/procedure2/init_primitives.hpp
+++ b/xo-procedure2/include/xo/procedure2/init_primitives.hpp
@@ -15,12 +15,14 @@ namespace xo {
 #endif
 
         struct Primitives {
+#ifdef OBSOLETE // see xo-numeric/src/numeric/NumericPrimitives.cpp
             /** polymorphic multiply
              *
              *  TODO: this will want to move to xo-numeric/
              *        so we can dispatch on vector, matrix, function types
              **/
             static DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco s_mul_gco_gco_pm;
+#endif
 
             /** polymorphic subtract
              *
diff --git a/xo-procedure2/src/procedure2/init_primitives.cpp b/xo-procedure2/src/procedure2/init_primitives.cpp
index f3759f4b..1d1d50fc 100644
--- a/xo-procedure2/src/procedure2/init_primitives.cpp
+++ b/xo-procedure2/src/procedure2/init_primitives.cpp
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ namespace xo {
         }
 #endif
 
+#ifdef OBSOLETE // see xo-numeric/xo/numeric/NumericPrimitives.cpp
         obj<AGCObject>
         mul_gco_gco(obj<ARuntimeContext> rcx,
                     obj<AGCObject> x_gco,
@@ -98,6 +99,7 @@ namespace xo {
                                            xtag("y.tseq", y_tseq)));
             return obj<AGCObject>();
         }
+#endif
 
         obj<AGCObject>
         sub_gco_gco(obj<ARuntimeContext> rcx,
@@ -255,8 +257,10 @@ namespace xo {
         }
 #endif
 
+#ifdef OSOLETE
         DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco
         Primitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm("_mul", &mul_gco_gco);
+#endif
 
         DPrimitive_gco_2_gco_gco
         Primitives::s_sub_gco_gco_pm("_sub", &sub_gco_gco);
diff --git a/xo-procedure2/utest/DPrimitive.test.cpp b/xo-procedure2/utest/DPrimitive.test.cpp
index 73e807fd..5d0fc318 100644
--- a/xo-procedure2/utest/DPrimitive.test.cpp
+++ b/xo-procedure2/utest/DPrimitive.test.cpp
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ namespace xo {
             REQUIRE(s_init.evidence());
         }
 
+        // MOVE THESE TO xo-numeric/
+        // Should work using NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco
+
+#ifdef OBSOLETE
         TEST_CASE("DPrimitive-n_args", "[procedure2][DPrimitive]")
         {
             // s_mul_gco_gco_pm takes 2 AGCObject args
@@ -137,6 +141,7 @@ namespace xo {
 
             CHECK(output.find("_mul") != std::string::npos);
         }
+#endif
 
     } /*namespace ut*/
 } /*namespace xo*/
diff --git a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DProgressSsm.cpp b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DProgressSsm.cpp
index eafe88b8..dd201b65 100644
--- a/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DProgressSsm.cpp
+++ b/xo-reader2/src/reader2/DProgressSsm.cpp
@@ -1253,7 +1253,7 @@ namespace xo {
             case optype::op_multiply:
                 {
                     auto pm_obj  = (with_facet<AGCObject>::mkobj
-                                    (&Primitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm));
+                                    (&NumericPrimitives::s_mul_gco_gco_pm));
                     auto fn_expr = (DConstant::make
                                     (p_psm->expr_alloc(), pm_obj));