diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
index 0a2ba9a9d..d89c00a93 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/base.py
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ class Dependency:
         """
         raise RuntimeError('Unreachable code in partial_dependency called')
 
-    def _add_sub_dependency2(self, deplist: T.List['DependencyType']) -> bool:
+    def _add_sub_dependency(self, deplist: T.List['DependencyType']) -> bool:
         """Add an internal depdency from a list of possible dependencies.
 
         This method is intended to make it easier to add additional
@@ -196,20 +196,6 @@ class Dependency:
                 return True
         return False
 
-    def _add_sub_dependency(self, dep_type: T.Type['Dependency'], name: str,
-                            env: Environment, kwargs: T.Dict[str, T.Any], *,
-                            method: DependencyMethods = DependencyMethods.AUTO) -> None:
-        """Add an internal dependency of of the given type.
-
-        This method is intended to simplify cases of adding a dependency on
-        another dependency type (such as threads). This will by default set
-        the method back to auto, but the 'method' keyword argument can be
-        used to overwrite this behavior.
-        """
-        kwargs = kwargs.copy()
-        kwargs['method'] = method
-        self.ext_deps.append(dep_type(name, env, kwargs))
-
     def get_variable(self, *, cmake: T.Optional[str] = None, pkgconfig: T.Optional[str] = None,
                      configtool: T.Optional[str] = None, internal: T.Optional[str] = None,
                      default_value: T.Optional[str] = None,
diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/boost.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/boost.py
index 605431374..916903944 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/boost.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/boost.py
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class BoostDependency(ExternalDependency):
 
         self.requested_modules = self.get_requested(kwargs)
         if 'thread' in self.requested_modules:
-            if not self._add_sub_dependency2(threads_factory(environment, self.for_machine, {})):
+            if not self._add_sub_dependency(threads_factory(environment, self.for_machine, {})):
                 self.is_found = False
                 return
 
diff --git a/mesonbuild/dependencies/dev.py b/mesonbuild/dependencies/dev.py
index 9bd6e4f3b..4bec71a37 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/dependencies/dev.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/dependencies/dev.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class GTestDependencySystem(ExternalDependency):
         super().__init__(name, environment, kwargs, language='cpp')
         self.main = kwargs.get('main', False)
         self.src_dirs = ['/usr/src/gtest/src', '/usr/src/googletest/googletest/src']
-        if not self._add_sub_dependency2(threads_factory(environment, self.for_machine, {})):
+        if not self._add_sub_dependency(threads_factory(environment, self.for_machine, {})):
             self.is_found = False
             return
         self.detect()
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ class GMockDependencySystem(ExternalDependency):
     def __init__(self, name: str, environment, kwargs):
         super().__init__(name, environment, kwargs, language='cpp')
         self.main = kwargs.get('main', False)
-        if not self._add_sub_dependency2(threads_factory(environment, self.for_machine, {})):
+        if not self._add_sub_dependency(threads_factory(environment, self.for_machine, {})):
             self.is_found = False
             return
 
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ class GMockDependencySystem(ExternalDependency):
         # GMock without GTest is pretty much useless
         # this also mimics the structure given in WrapDB,
         # where GMock always pulls in GTest
-        found = self._add_sub_dependency2(gtest_factory(environment, self.for_machine, gtest_kwargs))
+        found = self._add_sub_dependency(gtest_factory(environment, self.for_machine, gtest_kwargs))
         if not found:
             self.is_found = False
             return
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ class LLVMDependencyConfigTool(ConfigToolDependency):
             self._set_old_link_args()
         self.link_args = strip_system_libdirs(environment, self.for_machine, self.link_args)
         self.link_args = self.__fix_bogus_link_args(self.link_args)
-        if not self._add_sub_dependency2(threads_factory(environment, self.for_machine, {})):
+        if not self._add_sub_dependency(threads_factory(environment, self.for_machine, {})):
             self.is_found = False
             return
 
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ class LLVMDependencyCMake(CMakeDependency):
         defs = self.traceparser.get_cmake_var('PACKAGE_DEFINITIONS')
         temp = ['-I' + x for x in inc_dirs] + defs
         self.compile_args += [x for x in temp if x not in self.compile_args]
-        if not self._add_sub_dependency2(threads_factory(env, self.for_machine, {})):
+        if not self._add_sub_dependency(threads_factory(env, self.for_machine, {})):
             self.is_found = False
             return