diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 9bfca2b07..485d1bbcb 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - checkout
       - run: apk update && apk add ragel gcc g++ glib-dev freetype-dev cairo-dev git py3-pip ninja
-      - run: pip3 install meson==0.49.0
+      - run: pip3 install meson==0.47.0
       - run: meson build --buildtype=minsize
       - run: ninja -Cbuild -j9
       - run: meson test -Cbuild --print-errorlogs
diff --git a/docs/meson.build b/docs/meson.build
index 3d75fd260..f3bf46079 100644
--- a/docs/meson.build
+++ b/docs/meson.build
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ endif
 
 gnome.gtkdoc('harfbuzz',
   main_sgml: 'harfbuzz-docs.xml',
-  src_dir: [meson.current_source_dir() / '..',
-            meson.current_build_dir() / '..',
+  src_dir: [join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), '..'),
+            join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), '..'),
            ],
   scan_args: ['--deprecated-guards=HB_DISABLE_DEPRECATED',
               '--ignore-decorators=HB_EXTERN',
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index ddf20d1ef..ffa3deb5d 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 project('harfbuzz', 'c', 'cpp',
-  meson_version: '>= 0.49.0',
+  meson_version: '>= 0.47.0',
   version: '2.7.0',
   default_options: [
     'cpp_eh=none',          # Just to support msvc, we are passing -fno-rtti also anyway
@@ -348,12 +348,16 @@ if not get_option('tests').disabled()
   subdir('test')
 endif
 
-if (not get_option('benchmark').disabled() and
-    get_option('wrap_mode') != 'nodownload' and
-    host_machine.system() != 'windows' and
-    not meson.is_subproject() and
-    not meson.is_cross_build())
-  subdir('perf')
+# get_option('wrap_mode') isn't available in <0.49 and this
+# is just an internal tool
+if meson.version().version_compare('>=0.49')
+  if (not get_option('benchmark').disabled() and
+      get_option('wrap_mode') != 'nodownload' and
+      host_machine.system() != 'windows' and
+      not meson.is_subproject() and
+      not meson.is_cross_build())
+    subdir('perf')
+  endif
 endif
 
 if not get_option('docs').disabled()
diff --git a/perf/meson.build b/perf/meson.build
index 384574d2c..c3b0e3e4a 100644
--- a/perf/meson.build
+++ b/perf/meson.build
@@ -24,4 +24,4 @@ benchmark('perf', executable('perf', 'perf.cc',
   include_directories: [incconfig, incsrc],
   link_with: [libharfbuzz],
   install: false,
-), workdir: meson.current_source_dir() / '..', timeout: 100)
+), workdir: join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), '..'), timeout: 100)
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index b53d8b259..53290e1b6 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -488,21 +488,20 @@ if get_option('tests').enabled()
   endforeach
 
   compiled_tests = {
+    'test-algs': ['test-algs.cc', 'hb-static.cc'],
     'test-array': 'test-array.cc',
+    'test-iter': ['test-iter.cc', 'hb-static.cc'],
+    'test-meta': ['test-meta.cc', 'hb-static.cc'],
     'test-number': ['test-number.cc', 'hb-number.cc'],
     'test-ot-tag': 'hb-ot-tag.cc',
     'test-unicode-ranges': 'test-unicode-ranges.cc',
+    'test-bimap': ['test-bimap.cc', 'hb-static.cc'],
   }
-  if cpp.get_id() != 'msvc'
-    # TODO: MSVC doesn't like these, fix them
-    compiled_tests += {
-      'test-algs': ['test-algs.cc', 'hb-static.cc'],
-      'test-bimap': ['test-bimap.cc', 'hb-static.cc'],
-      'test-iter': ['test-iter.cc', 'hb-static.cc'],
-      'test-meta': ['test-meta.cc', 'hb-static.cc'],
-    }
-  endif
   foreach name, source : compiled_tests
+    if cpp.get_id() == 'msvc' and ['test-algs', 'test-bimap', 'test-iter', 'test-meta'].contains(name)
+      # TODO: MSVC doesn't like these, fix them
+      continue
+    endif
     test(name, executable(name, source,
       include_directories: incconfig,
       cpp_args: cpp_args + ['-DMAIN', '-UNDEBUG'],
@@ -577,7 +576,7 @@ cmake_config.set('have_gobject', have_gobject_string)
 configure_file(input: 'harfbuzz-config.cmake.in',
   output: 'harfbuzz-config.cmake',
   configuration: cmake_config,
-  install_dir: get_option('libdir') / 'cmake' / 'harfbuzz',
+  install_dir: join_paths(get_option('libdir'), 'cmake', 'harfbuzz'),
 )
 
 libharfbuzz_gobject_dep = null_dep
@@ -615,7 +614,7 @@ if have_gobject
     output: 'hb-gobject-enums.h',
     command: [find_program('fix_get_types.py'), '@INPUT@', '@OUTPUT@'],
     install: true,
-    install_dir: get_option('prefix') / get_option('includedir') / meson.project_name(),
+    install_dir: join_paths(get_option('prefix'), get_option('includedir'), meson.project_name()),
   )
 
   hb_gobject_sources += [enum_c]
diff --git a/test/fuzzing/meson.build b/test/fuzzing/meson.build
index 9037a9af0..8f698854b 100644
--- a/test/fuzzing/meson.build
+++ b/test/fuzzing/meson.build
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ test('shape_fuzzer', find_program('run-shape-fuzzer-tests.py'),
   ],
   timeout: 60,
   depends: [hb_shape_fuzzer_exe, libharfbuzz, libharfbuzz_subset],
-  workdir: meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / '..',
+  workdir: join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), '..', '..'),
   env: env,
   suite: ['fuzzing', 'slow'],
 )
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ test('subset_fuzzer', find_program('run-subset-fuzzer-tests.py'),
   # as the tests are ran concurrently let's raise acceptable time here
   # ideally better to break and let meson handles them in parallel
   timeout: 300,
-  workdir: meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / '..',
+  workdir: join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), '..', '..'),
   env: env,
   suite: ['fuzzing', 'slow'],
 )
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ test('draw_fuzzer', find_program('run-draw-fuzzer-tests.py'),
   args: [
     hb_draw_fuzzer_exe,
   ],
-  workdir: meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / '..',
+  workdir: join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), '..', '..'),
   env: env,
   suite: ['fuzzing'],
 )
diff --git a/test/shaping/meson.build b/test/shaping/meson.build
index ee74353a8..b1e49190e 100644
--- a/test/shaping/meson.build
+++ b/test/shaping/meson.build
@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@ foreach file_name : in_house_tests
   test(test_name, shaping_run_tests_py,
     args: [
       hb_shape,
-      meson.current_source_dir() / 'data' / 'in-house' / 'tests' / file_name,
+      join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'data', 'in-house', 'tests', file_name),
     ],
     env: env,
-    workdir: meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / '..',
+    workdir: join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), '..', '..'),
     suite: ['shaping', 'in-house'],
   )
 endforeach
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@ foreach file_name : aots_tests
   test(test_name, shaping_run_tests_py,
     args: [
       hb_shape,
-      meson.current_source_dir() / 'data' / 'aots' / 'tests' / file_name,
+      join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'data', 'aots', 'tests', file_name),
     ],
     env: env,
-    workdir: meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / '..',
+    workdir: join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), '..', '..'),
     suite: ['shaping', 'aots'],
   )
 endforeach
@@ -42,10 +42,10 @@ foreach file_name : text_rendering_tests
   test(test_name, shaping_run_tests_py,
     args: [
       hb_shape,
-      meson.current_source_dir() / 'data' / 'text-rendering-tests' / 'tests' / file_name,
+      join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'data', 'text-rendering-tests', 'tests', file_name),
     ],
     env: env,
-    workdir: meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / '..',
+    workdir: join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), '..', '..'),
     suite: ['shaping', 'text-rendering-tests'],
   )
 endforeach
diff --git a/test/subset/meson.build b/test/subset/meson.build
index 1b6c0a9e5..9153e6914 100644
--- a/test/subset/meson.build
+++ b/test/subset/meson.build
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@ foreach t : tests
   test(t, run_test,
     args: [
       hb_subset,
-      meson.current_source_dir() / 'data' / 'tests' / fname,
+      join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'data', 'tests', fname),
     ],
     # as the tests are ran concurrently let's raise acceptable time here
     # ideally better to break and let meson handles them in parallel
     timeout: 500,
-    workdir: meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / '..',
+    workdir: join_paths(meson.current_build_dir(), '..', '..'),
     suite: ['subset', 'slow'],
   )
 endforeach