diff --git a/base/broadcast.jl b/base/broadcast.jl
index d7546643220ba..ebb67774a860b 100644
--- a/base/broadcast.jl
+++ b/base/broadcast.jl
@@ -839,7 +839,7 @@ julia> string.(("one","two","three","four"), ": ", 1:4)
 
 ```
 """
-broadcast(f::Tf, As...) where {Tf} = materialize(broadcasted(f, As...))
+broadcast(f::Tf, As::Vararg{Any,N}) where {Tf,N} = materialize(broadcasted(f, As...))
 
 # special cases defined for performance
 @inline broadcast(f, x::Number...) = f(x...)
@@ -1314,33 +1314,34 @@ macro __dot__(x)
     esc(__dot__(x))
 end
 
-@inline function broadcasted_kwsyntax(f, args...; kwargs...)
+
+@inline function broadcasted_kwsyntax(f, args::Vararg{Any,N}; kwargs...) where N
     if isempty(kwargs) # some BroadcastStyles dispatch on `f`, so try to preserve its type
         return broadcasted(f, args...)
     else
         return broadcasted((args...) -> f(args...; kwargs...), args...)
     end
 end
-@inline function broadcasted(f, args...)
-    args′ = map(broadcastable, args)
-    broadcasted(combine_styles(args′...), f, args′...)
+@inline function broadcasted(f)
+    args′ = map(broadcastable, ())
+    return broadcasted(combine_styles(args′...), f, args′...)
 end
 # Due to the current Type{T}/DataType specialization heuristics within Tuples,
 # the totally generic varargs broadcasted(f, args...) method above loses Type{T}s in
 # mapping broadcastable across the args. These additional methods with explicit
 # arguments ensure we preserve Type{T}s in the first or second argument position.
-@inline function broadcasted(f, arg1, args...)
+@inline function broadcasted(f, arg1)
     arg1′ = broadcastable(arg1)
-    args′ = map(broadcastable, args)
-    broadcasted(combine_styles(arg1′, args′...), f, arg1′, args′...)
+    args′ = map(broadcastable, ())
+    return broadcasted(combine_styles(arg1′, args′...), f, arg1′, args′...)
 end
-@inline function broadcasted(f, arg1, arg2, args...)
+@inline function broadcasted(f, arg1, arg2, args::Vararg{Any,N}) where N
     arg1′ = broadcastable(arg1)
     arg2′ = broadcastable(arg2)
     args′ = map(broadcastable, args)
-    broadcasted(combine_styles(arg1′, arg2′, args′...), f, arg1′, arg2′, args′...)
+    return broadcasted(combine_styles(arg1′, arg2′, args′...), f, arg1′, arg2′, args′...)
 end
-@inline broadcasted(::S, f, args...) where S<:BroadcastStyle = Broadcasted{S}(f, args)
+@inline broadcasted(::S, f, args::Vararg{Any,N}) where {S<:BroadcastStyle,N} = Broadcasted{S}(f, args)
 
 """
     BroadcastFunction{F} <: Function
diff --git a/base/compiler/optimize.jl b/base/compiler/optimize.jl
index a472ae773f6b1..3011f4064ff49 100644
--- a/base/compiler/optimize.jl
+++ b/base/compiler/optimize.jl
@@ -351,10 +351,10 @@ function statement_cost(ex::Expr, line::Int, src::Union{CodeInfo, IRCode}, sptyp
             # depend strongly on whether the result can be
             # inferred, so check the type of ex
             if f === Core.getfield || f === Core.tuple
-                # we might like to penalize non-inferrability, but
+                # we might like to heavily penalize non-inferrability, but
                 # tuple iteration/destructuring makes that impossible
                 # return plus_saturate(argcost, isknowntype(extyp) ? 1 : params.inline_nonleaf_penalty)
-                return 0
+                return 1
             elseif (f === Core.arrayref || f === Core.const_arrayref || f === Core.arrayset) && length(ex.args) >= 3
                 atyp = argextype(ex.args[3], src, sptypes, slottypes)
                 return isknowntype(atyp) ? 4 : error_path ? params.inline_error_path_cost : params.inline_nonleaf_penalty
@@ -424,9 +424,9 @@ function statement_or_branch_cost(@nospecialize(stmt), line::Int, src::Union{Cod
         # loops are generally always expensive
         # but assume that forward jumps are already counted for from
         # summing the cost of the not-taken branch
-        thiscost = dst(stmt.label) < line ? 40 : 0
+        thiscost = dst(stmt.label) < line ? 40 : 1
     elseif stmt isa GotoIfNot
-        thiscost = dst(stmt.dest) < line ? 40 : 0
+        thiscost = dst(stmt.dest) < line ? 40 : 1
     end
     return thiscost
 end
diff --git a/doc/src/devdocs/inference.md b/doc/src/devdocs/inference.md
index a9c4ec5c726ed..94e785eb1a606 100644
--- a/doc/src/devdocs/inference.md
+++ b/doc/src/devdocs/inference.md
@@ -101,16 +101,16 @@ as follows:
 ```jldoctest; filter=r"tuple.jl:\d+"
 julia> Base.print_statement_costs(stdout, map, (typeof(sqrt), Tuple{Int},)) # map(sqrt, (2,))
 map(f, t::Tuple{Any}) in Base at tuple.jl:179
-  0 1 ─ %1  = Base.getfield(_3, 1, true)::Int64
+  1 1 ─ %1  = Base.getfield(_3, 1, true)::Int64
   1 │   %2  = Base.sitofp(Float64, %1)::Float64
   2 │   %3  = Base.lt_float(%2, 0.0)::Bool
-  0 └──       goto #3 if not %3
+  1 └──       goto #3 if not %3
   0 2 ─       invoke Base.Math.throw_complex_domainerror(:sqrt::Symbol, %2::Float64)::Union{}
   0 └──       unreachable
  20 3 ─ %7  = Base.Math.sqrt_llvm(%2)::Float64
-  0 └──       goto #4
-  0 4 ─       goto #5
-  0 5 ─ %10 = Core.tuple(%7)::Tuple{Float64}
+  1 └──       goto #4
+  1 4 ─       goto #5
+  1 5 ─ %10 = Core.tuple(%7)::Tuple{Float64}
   0 └──       return %10
 ```