diff --git a/src/smt/theory_recfun.cpp b/src/smt/theory_recfun.cpp
index 5ba5e135d..55cc088f4 100644
--- a/src/smt/theory_recfun.cpp
+++ b/src/smt/theory_recfun.cpp
@@ -225,7 +225,6 @@ namespace smt {
         recfun::vars const & vars,
         expr_ref_vector const & args,
         expr * e) {
-        SASSERT(is_standard_order(vars));
         var_subst subst(m, true);
         expr_ref new_body = subst(e, args);
         ctx.get_rewriter()(new_body); // simplify
@@ -377,7 +376,6 @@ namespace smt {
         recfun::def & d = *e.m_cdef->get_def();
         auto & vars = d.get_vars();
         auto & args = e.m_args;
-        SASSERT(is_standard_order(vars));
         unsigned depth = get_depth(e.m_pred);
         expr_ref lhs(u().mk_fun_defined(d, args), m);
         expr_ref rhs = apply_args(depth, vars, args, e.m_cdef->get_rhs());
diff --git a/src/smt/theory_recfun.h b/src/smt/theory_recfun.h
index 2e576a29a..7ca25f917 100644
--- a/src/smt/theory_recfun.h
+++ b/src/smt/theory_recfun.h
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ namespace smt {
         void set_depth_rec(unsigned d, expr* e);
         
         literal mk_eq_lit(expr* l, expr* r);
-        bool is_standard_order(recfun::vars const& vars) const { 
+        bool is_decreasing_order(recfun::vars const& vars) const { 
             return vars.empty() || vars[vars.size()-1]->get_idx() == 0;
         }
     protected: