Higher order functions in PHP: partial/curry/compose

gistfile1.php

<?php

/**
 * Higher order functions in PHP
 *
 * Please let me know of any differences in the the uses and actual definitions of partial v. curry.
 */

/**
 * Returns a partially applied function.
 * Simplest usage:
 *  $map_trim = partial('array_map', 'trim');
 *  $map_trim(['   a   ', '   b']);
 *
 * @param   callable    $fn
 * @param   mixed       ...
 * @return  callable
 * @throws  InvalidArgumentException
 */
function partial($fn)
{
    if (!is_callable($fn)) {
        throw new InvalidArgumentException('Given arg is not callable.');
    }

    $partial_args = array_slice(func_get_args(), 1);

    return function() use($fn, $partial_args) {
        return call_user_func_array($fn, array_merge($partial_args, func_get_args()));
    };
}

/**
 * Returns a curried function.
 * If the function has indeterminate arguments, or optional arguments, the first arg
 * to curry should be the number of arguments the function takes.
 *
 * For example, array_map potentially takes an infinite number of arguments,
 * and using reflection we get: 2 required, 3 optional, but it can potentially be more.
 *
 * Example:
 *  $mapper = curry(2, 'array_map');
 *  $mapper = $mapper(); // will return a partially applied function (still awaiting args)
 *  $mapper = $mapper(); // will return a partially applied function (still awaiting args)
 *  $mapper = $mapper($some_func);  // will return a partially applied function
 *                                  // with $some_func bound
 *  $mapper = $mapper(); // $some_func bound, still a partially applied function
 *  $mapped = $mapper($some_array); // evaluated map
 *
 * This is still pretty ugly in PHP, although if the feature to implement function
 * dereferencing is added, the syntax will be nicer.
 * @see https://wiki.php.net/rfc/fcallfcall
 * Equivalent to above:
 *  $mapped = curry(2, 'array_map')()()($some_func)()($some_array);
 *
 * @param   ...         $num_args or $fn
 * @param   callable    $fn
 * @param   ...         mixed (args to bind)
 * @return  callable
 * @throws  InvalidArgumentException
 */
function curry()
{
    $args = func_get_args();

    $i = call_user_func(function() use($args) {
        foreach ($args as $key => $a) {
            if (is_callable($a)) {
                return $key;
            }
        }
        throw new InvalidArgumentException('No callable given to curry()');
    });

    $fn = $args[$i];
    unset($args[$i]);
    $args = array_values($args);

    $get_fn_no_args = function($fn) {

        $re = new ReflectionFunction($fn);
        list($p, $r) = array(
            $re->getNumberOfParameters(),
            $re->getNumberOfRequiredParameters()
        );

        if ($p !== $r) {
            throw new InvalidArgumentException(
                'Specify the number of arguments expected in the first argument. '
                . 'The given function has optional args.'
            );
        }

        return $p;
    };

    $pars = ($i === 0) ? $get_fn_no_args($fn) : array_shift($args);

    return function() use($fn, $pars, $args)
    {
        $args = array_merge($args, func_get_args());

        return (count($args) >= $pars)
            ? call_user_func_array($fn, $args)
            : call_user_func_array('curry', array_merge(array($pars, $fn), $args));
    };
}

/**
 * Returns a function which applies the given callables left to right
 * Example:
 *  $print_trim = compose('trim', 'print_r');
 *  $print_trim('something');
 *
 * @param   ...    callable
 * @return  callable
 * @throws  InvalidArgumentException
 */
function compose()
{
    $fns = func_get_args();
    $cfns = array_filter($fns, 'is_callable');

    if (!$fns || count($fns) !== count($cfns)) {
        throw new InvalidArgumentException('
            Invalid arguments to compose(). Excpeted callables.'
        );
    }

    return function() use($fns) {
        $args = func_get_args();
        $re = call_user_func_array(array_shift($fns), $args);

        foreach ($fns as $f) {
            $re = $f($re);
        }

        return $re;
    };
}

when defining a curried function is there way of inserting a placeholder or reversing the order of parameters? I'm trying to define a parameter at the end of the function and leave an earlier parameter ready to accept data later