diff --git a/sunspot/lib/sunspot/util.rb b/sunspot/lib/sunspot/util.rb
index 85ea7d245..e83be0378 100644
--- a/sunspot/lib/sunspot/util.rb
+++ b/sunspot/lib/sunspot/util.rb
@@ -298,20 +298,43 @@ def respond_to_missing?(method, _)
       end
 
       def __proxy_method__(method, *args, **kwargs, &block)
-        if kwargs.empty?
-          @__receiver__.__send__(method.to_sym, *args, &block)
-        else
-          @__receiver__.__send__(method.to_sym, *args, **kwargs, &block)
+        method = method.to_sym
+
+        # Fast path: skip the rescue below when the receiver can't handle the
+        # method, avoiding a raise on every call into the calling context.
+        if !__may_handle__?(@__receiver__, method) &&
+           ::Kernel === @__calling_context__ &&
+           @__calling_context__.respond_to?(method, true)
+          return __dispatch__(@__calling_context__, method, args, kwargs, &block)
         end
-      rescue ::NoMethodError => e
+
         begin
-          if kwargs.empty?
-            @__calling_context__.__send__(method.to_sym, *args, &block)
-          else
-            @__calling_context__.__send__(method.to_sym, *args, **kwargs, &block)
+          __dispatch__(@__receiver__, method, args, kwargs, &block)
+        rescue ::NoMethodError => e
+          begin
+            __dispatch__(@__calling_context__, method, args, kwargs, &block)
+          rescue ::NoMethodError
+            raise(e)
           end
-        rescue ::NoMethodError
-          raise(e)
+        end
+      end
+
+      KERNEL_METHOD = ::Kernel.instance_method(:method)
+
+      # respond_to? only settles it when method_missing is the default one;
+      # receivers like DSL::Function answer everything through method_missing.
+      # Objects without Kernel (BasicObject proxies) may not have respond_to?.
+      def __may_handle__?(target, method)
+        !(::Kernel === target) ||
+          target.respond_to?(method, true) ||
+          KERNEL_METHOD.bind(target).call(:method_missing).owner != ::BasicObject
+      end
+
+      def __dispatch__(target, method, args, kwargs, &block)
+        if kwargs.empty?
+          target.__send__(method, *args, &block)
+        else
+          target.__send__(method, *args, **kwargs, &block)
         end
       end      
     end
diff --git a/sunspot/spec/api/binding_spec.rb b/sunspot/spec/api/binding_spec.rb
index 14008252b..5c4467548 100644
--- a/sunspot/spec/api/binding_spec.rb
+++ b/sunspot/spec/api/binding_spec.rb
@@ -49,6 +49,50 @@
     expect(value).to eq({ a: 10, b: 20 })
   end
 
+  it 'should build function queries whose names the calling context also defines' do
+    # Like a model class method calling solr_search, where the model responds
+    # to ActiveRecord's #sum.
+    searcher = Class.new do
+      def search(session)
+        session.search(Post) do
+          keywords('pizza') do
+            boost(function { sum(:average_rating, 10) })
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+      def sum(*)
+        'from context'
+      end
+    end.new
+
+    searcher.search(session)
+    expect(connection).to have_last_search_including(:bf, 'sum(average_rating_ft,10)')
+  end
+
+  it 'should define typed fields whose names the calling context also defines' do
+    stub_const('BindingSpecDocument', Class.new)
+    # The example group responds to rspec-mocks' #double.
+    Sunspot::Setup.setup(BindingSpecDocument) { double :rating }
+    expect(Sunspot::Setup.for(BindingSpecDocument).field(:rating).type).to be_a(Sunspot::Type::DoubleType)
+  end
+
+  it 'should prefer the record\'s method_missing in index-time blocks' do
+    record_class = Class.new do
+      def method_missing(name, *args, &block)
+        name == :name ? 'from record' : super
+      end
+      # respond_to_missing? is deliberately not defined.
+    end
+    # Inside a searchable block the calling context is the model class, which
+    # responds to Class#name.
+    extractor = record_class.instance_eval do
+      Sunspot::DataExtractor::BlockExtractor.new { name }
+    end
+
+    expect(extractor.value_for(record_class.new)).to eq('from record')
+  end
+
   private
 
   def test_method
@@ -63,3 +107,120 @@ def kwargs_method(a:, b:)
     { a: a, b: b }
   end
 end
+
+describe Sunspot::Util::ContextBoundDelegate do
+  # Resolution must not depend on raising; the discarded backtraces are costly.
+  it 'does not raise NoMethodError when resolving a calling context method' do
+    raised = 0
+    test_thread = Thread.current
+    tracer = TracePoint.new(:raise) do |tp|
+      raised += 1 if Thread.current == test_thread && tp.raised_exception.is_a?(NoMethodError)
+    end
+
+    context = Class.new do
+      def resolve(receiver)
+        Sunspot::Util::ContextBoundDelegate
+          .instance_eval_with_context(receiver) { context_only_method }
+      end
+
+      def context_only_method
+        'from context'
+      end
+    end.new
+
+    result = nil
+    tracer.enable { result = context.resolve(Object.new) }
+
+    expect(result).to eq('from context')
+    expect(raised).to eq(0)
+  end
+
+  # respond_to? cannot see method_missing, so this must still resolve via the
+  # rescue-based fallback.
+  it 'resolves a calling context method that only exists via method_missing' do
+    context = Class.new do
+      def resolve(receiver)
+        Sunspot::Util::ContextBoundDelegate
+          .instance_eval_with_context(receiver) { ghost_method }
+      end
+
+      def method_missing(name, *args, &block)
+        name == :ghost_method ? 'from method_missing' : super
+      end
+      # respond_to_missing? is deliberately not defined.
+    end.new
+
+    expect(context.resolve(Object.new)).to eq('from method_missing')
+  end
+
+  it 'raises NoMethodError when neither the receiver nor the context responds' do
+    context = Class.new do
+      def resolve(receiver)
+        Sunspot::Util::ContextBoundDelegate
+          .instance_eval_with_context(receiver) { totally_unknown_method }
+      end
+    end.new
+
+    expect { context.resolve(Object.new) }.to raise_error(NoMethodError)
+  end
+
+  it 'prefers the receiver when both define the method' do
+    receiver = Class.new do
+      def shared_method
+        'from receiver'
+      end
+    end.new
+
+    context = Class.new do
+      def resolve(receiver)
+        Sunspot::Util::ContextBoundDelegate
+          .instance_eval_with_context(receiver) { shared_method }
+      end
+
+      def shared_method
+        'from context'
+      end
+    end.new
+
+    expect(context.resolve(receiver)).to eq('from receiver')
+  end
+
+  it 'prefers a receiver method_missing over a context method of the same name' do
+    receiver = Class.new do
+      def method_missing(name, *args, &block)
+        name == :shared_method ? 'from receiver' : super
+      end
+      # respond_to_missing? is deliberately not defined.
+    end.new
+
+    context = Class.new do
+      def resolve(receiver)
+        Sunspot::Util::ContextBoundDelegate
+          .instance_eval_with_context(receiver) { shared_method }
+      end
+
+      def shared_method
+        'from context'
+      end
+    end.new
+
+    expect(context.resolve(receiver)).to eq('from receiver')
+  end
+
+  it 'dispatches to a BasicObject receiver that does not implement respond_to?' do
+    receiver = Class.new(BasicObject) do
+      def method_missing(name, *args, &block)
+        name == :proxied_method ? 'from proxy' : super
+      end
+    end.new
+
+    context = Class.new do
+      def resolve(receiver)
+        Sunspot::Util::ContextBoundDelegate
+          .instance_eval_with_context(receiver) { proxied_method }
+      end
+    end.new
+
+    expect(context.resolve(receiver)).to eq('from proxy')
+  end
+end
diff --git a/sunspot_rails/Appraisals b/sunspot_rails/Appraisals
index d24067e7a..66f1f291a 100644
--- a/sunspot_rails/Appraisals
+++ b/sunspot_rails/Appraisals
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ if ruby_version < Gem::Version.new('3.0.0')
       gem 'sqlite3', '~> 1.3.0'
       gem 'rspec', '~> 3.7'
       gem 'rspec-rails', '~> 3.7'
+      # ActiveSupport < 7.2.4 and 8.0.x pass quirks_mode to JSON.generate/parse, which json 3 rejects
+      gem 'json', '< 3'
     end
   end
 end
@@ -21,12 +23,13 @@ if Gem::Version.new('3.0.0') <= ruby_version && ruby_version < Gem::Version.new(
       gem 'sunspot', path: File.expand_path('sunspot', ENV['SUNSPOT_LIB_HOME'])
       gem 'sunspot_solr', path: File.expand_path('sunspot_solr', ENV['SUNSPOT_LIB_HOME'])
       gem 'rails', "~> #{rails_version}"
-      gem 'json', '< 3' # Under json 3, these Rails versions' to_json raises "unknown keyword: quirks_mode"
       gem 'sprockets', '~> 3.0'
       gem 'progress_bar', '~> 1.0.5', require: false
       gem 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.0'
       gem 'rspec', '~> 3'
       gem 'rspec-rails', '~> 6'
+      # ActiveSupport < 7.2.4 and 8.0.x pass quirks_mode to JSON.generate/parse, which json 3 rejects
+      gem 'json', '< 3'
     end
   end
 end