diff --git a/pandas/_libs/skiplist.pxd b/pandas/_libs/skiplist.pxd
index 82a0862112199..78f206962bcfc 100644
--- a/pandas/_libs/skiplist.pxd
+++ b/pandas/_libs/skiplist.pxd
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 
 from cython cimport Py_ssize_t
 
-from numpy cimport double_t
-
 
 cdef extern from "src/skiplist.h":
     ctypedef struct node_t:
@@ -33,7 +31,7 @@ cdef extern from "src/skiplist.h":
 # Node itself not intended to be exposed.
 cdef class Node:
     cdef public:
-        double_t value
+        double value
         list next
         list width
 
diff --git a/pandas/_libs/skiplist.pyx b/pandas/_libs/skiplist.pyx
index 5ede31b24118d..23836ef7f4de9 100644
--- a/pandas/_libs/skiplist.pyx
+++ b/pandas/_libs/skiplist.pyx
@@ -9,9 +9,6 @@
 from libc.math cimport log
 
 import numpy as np
-cimport numpy as cnp
-from numpy cimport double_t
-cnp.import_array()
 
 
 # MSVC does not have log2!
@@ -26,11 +23,11 @@ from random import random
 
 cdef class Node:
     # cdef public:
-    #    double_t value
+    #    double value
     #    list next
     #    list width
 
-    def __init__(self, double_t value, list next, list width):
+    def __init__(self, double value, list next, list width):
         self.value = value
         self.next = next
         self.width = width
diff --git a/pandas/_libs/src/compat_helper.h b/pandas/_libs/src/compat_helper.h
index bdff61d7d4150..116cd91070a60 100644
--- a/pandas/_libs/src/compat_helper.h
+++ b/pandas/_libs/src/compat_helper.h
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ The full license is in the LICENSE file, distributed with this software.
 #define PANDAS__LIBS_SRC_COMPAT_HELPER_H_
 
 #include "Python.h"
-#include "numpy_helper.h"
+#include "helper.h"
 
 /*
 PySlice_GetIndicesEx changes signature in PY3
diff --git a/pandas/core/tools/timedeltas.py b/pandas/core/tools/timedeltas.py
index 63ab120833ba1..4dc4fcb00d84d 100644
--- a/pandas/core/tools/timedeltas.py
+++ b/pandas/core/tools/timedeltas.py
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ def _validate_timedelta_unit(arg):
     """ provide validation / translation for timedelta short units """
     try:
         return _unit_map[arg]
-    except:
+    except (KeyError, TypeError):
         if arg is None:
             return 'ns'
         raise ValueError("invalid timedelta unit {arg} provided"
diff --git a/pandas/io/s3.py b/pandas/io/s3.py
index bd2286c5c8569..7d1360934fd53 100644
--- a/pandas/io/s3.py
+++ b/pandas/io/s3.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 try:
     import s3fs
     from botocore.exceptions import NoCredentialsError
-except:
+except ImportError:
     raise ImportError("The s3fs library is required to handle s3 files")
 
 if compat.PY3:
diff --git a/pandas/tests/frame/test_missing.py b/pandas/tests/frame/test_missing.py
index 9567c08781856..136299a4b81be 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/frame/test_missing.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/frame/test_missing.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
     import scipy
     _is_scipy_ge_0190 = (LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >=
                          LooseVersion('0.19.0'))
-except:
+except ImportError:
     _is_scipy_ge_0190 = False
 
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/generate_legacy_storage_files.py b/pandas/tests/io/generate_legacy_storage_files.py
index eb40e5521f7f1..aa020ba4c0623 100755
--- a/pandas/tests/io/generate_legacy_storage_files.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/generate_legacy_storage_files.py
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ def write_legacy_pickles(output_dir):
     # make sure we are < 0.13 compat (in py3)
     try:
         from pandas.compat import zip, cPickle as pickle  # noqa
-    except:
+    except ImportError:
         import pickle
 
     version = pandas.__version__
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_pickle.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_pickle.py
index 45cbbd43cd6a8..c71e26ae56e8e 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_pickle.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_pickle.py
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ def c_unpickler(path):
             with open(path, 'rb') as fh:
                 fh.seek(0)
                 return c_pickle.load(fh)
-    except:
+    except ImportError:
         c_pickler = None
         c_unpickler = None
 
diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/test_sql.py b/pandas/tests/io/test_sql.py
index f8f742c5980ac..4b0edfce89174 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/test_sql.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/test_sql.py
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ def _transaction_test(self):
             with self.pandasSQL.run_transaction() as trans:
                 trans.execute(ins_sql)
                 raise Exception('error')
-        except:
+        except Exception:
             # ignore raised exception
             pass
         res = self.pandasSQL.read_query('SELECT * FROM test_trans')
diff --git a/pandas/tests/series/test_missing.py b/pandas/tests/series/test_missing.py
index 2bc44cb1c683f..ab3fdd8cbf84f 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/series/test_missing.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/series/test_missing.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
     import scipy
     _is_scipy_ge_0190 = (LooseVersion(scipy.__version__) >=
                          LooseVersion('0.19.0'))
-except:
+except ImportError:
     _is_scipy_ge_0190 = False
 
 
diff --git a/pandas/util/_decorators.py b/pandas/util/_decorators.py
index 7d5753d03f4fc..82cd44113cb25 100644
--- a/pandas/util/_decorators.py
+++ b/pandas/util/_decorators.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 from pandas.compat import callable, signature, PY2
 from pandas._libs.properties import cache_readonly  # noqa
 import inspect
-import types
 import warnings
 from textwrap import dedent, wrap
 from functools import wraps, update_wrapper, WRAPPER_ASSIGNMENTS
@@ -339,48 +338,3 @@ def make_signature(func):
     if spec.keywords:
         args.append('**' + spec.keywords)
     return args, spec.args
-
-
-class docstring_wrapper(object):
-    """
-    Decorator to wrap a function and provide
-    a dynamically evaluated doc-string.
-
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    func : callable
-    creator : callable
-        return the doc-string
-    default : str, optional
-        return this doc-string on error
-    """
-    _attrs = ['__module__', '__name__',
-              '__qualname__', '__annotations__']
-
-    def __init__(self, func, creator, default=None):
-        self.func = func
-        self.creator = creator
-        self.default = default
-        update_wrapper(
-            self, func, [attr for attr in self._attrs
-                         if hasattr(func, attr)])
-
-    def __get__(self, instance, cls=None):
-
-        # we are called with a class
-        if instance is None:
-            return self
-
-        # we want to return the actual passed instance
-        return types.MethodType(self, instance)
-
-    def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
-        return self.func(*args, **kwargs)
-
-    @property
-    def __doc__(self):
-        try:
-            return self.creator()
-        except Exception as exc:
-            msg = self.default or str(exc)
-            return msg
diff --git a/pandas/util/_print_versions.py b/pandas/util/_print_versions.py
index 01198fc541e0c..5600834f3b615 100644
--- a/pandas/util/_print_versions.py
+++ b/pandas/util/_print_versions.py
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ def show_versions(as_json=False):
     if (as_json):
         try:
             import json
-        except:
+        except ImportError:
             import simplejson as json
 
         j = dict(system=dict(sys_info), dependencies=dict(deps_blob))
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index d265733738425..f058c8a6e3c99 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -438,9 +438,12 @@ def get_tag(self):
 
 
 # enable coverage by building cython files by setting the environment variable
-# "PANDAS_CYTHON_COVERAGE" (with a Truthy value)
+# "PANDAS_CYTHON_COVERAGE" (with a Truthy value) or by running build_ext
+# with `--with-cython-coverage`enabled
 linetrace = os.environ.get('PANDAS_CYTHON_COVERAGE', False)
-CYTHON_TRACE = str(int(bool(linetrace)))
+if '--with-cython-coverage' in sys.argv:
+    linetrace = True
+    sys.argv.remove('--with-cython-coverage')
 
 # Note: if not using `cythonize`, coverage can be enabled by
 # pinning `ext.cython_directives = directives` to each ext in extensions.