This paper presents the view that metaphor interpretation requires cognitive effort and produces a complex set of cognitive effects. The author comments on the methodological problems that arise when analyzing the meaning of metaphors and how people come to understand them. The author's main point is that both metaphorical meaning and interpretation are essentially indeterminate. However, the author suggests that a range of factors involved in the understanding of metaphor can be studied and that scholars should consider and acknowledge the complex ways in which these factors interact to arrive at a better characterization of people's metaphorical experiences.