successful construction of a pattern based parser to recognize the class of container metaphors. Recognition of a metaphor in this class triggers a transformation that substitutes a correct, literal meaning form in the final representation of the utterance or sentence. The final meaning form reflects a theory of metaphors suggesting bodily experiences as the source of metaphor. A large set of primitives serves as the basic representation language. W e conclude that pattem parsers with attached transformations work well for many normally difficult constructions such as metaphors, cliches and idioms.