Models for the interpretation of metaphor and idiom comprehension are reviewed with attention to studies involving Ss with right brain damage. Normative data are provided for two tests of comprehension of Italian metaphors and idioms, respectively. In each test, 20 commonly used expressions in example sentences are read aloud to Ss (N = 142 males and 180 females) in the context "What does it mean to say...?" Ss' transcribed responses are scored for agreement with dictionary definitions and for partial definitions and correct explanations by example. Ss are grouped by sex, age, and years of schooling; score distributions, corrected scores, threshold normal values, and equivalent scores are reported for each S group. Results show a high correlation between the tests, suggesting that they may be treated as a single test of nonliteral comprehension; test scores vary positively with education and do not correlate with age or sex. (Copyright 1996, Sociological Abstracts, Inc., all rights reserved.) (LLBA 1996, vol. 30, n. 4)