diff --git a/waflib/Tools/cxx.py b/waflib/Tools/cxx.py
index 033ce21d..f32e4e9b 100644
--- a/waflib/Tools/cxx.py
+++ b/waflib/Tools/cxx.py
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ from waflib import TaskGen, Task, Utils
 from waflib.Tools import c_preproc
 from waflib.Tools.ccroot import link_task, stlink_task
 
+@TaskGen.extension('.cpp','.cc','.cxx','.C','.c++')
 def cxx_hook(self, node):
 	"Bind the c++ file extensions to the creation of a :py:class:`waflib.Tools.cxx.cxx` instance"
 	return self.create_compiled_task('cxx', node)
-TaskGen.extension('.cpp','.cc','.cxx','.C','.c++')(cxx_hook) # leave like this for python 2.3
 
 if not '.c' in TaskGen.task_gen.mappings:
 	TaskGen.task_gen.mappings['.c'] = TaskGen.task_gen.mappings['.cpp']