diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/gv.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/gv.el
index ac001af06bd..6c3036da2f2 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/gv.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/gv.el
@@ -639,6 +639,13 @@ REF must have been previously obtained with `gv-ref'."
 
 ;;; Generalized variables.
 
+;; You'd think noone would write `(setf (error ...) ..)' but it
+;; appears naturally as the result of macroexpansion of things like
+;; (setf (case-exhaustive ...)).
+;; We could generalize this to `throw' and `signal', but it seems
+;; preferable to wait until there's a concrete need.
+(gv-define-expander error (lambda (_do &rest args) `(error . ,args)))
+
 ;; Some Emacs-related place types.
 (gv-define-simple-setter buffer-file-name set-visited-file-name t)
 (make-obsolete-generalized-variable