Metaphors and other non-literal expressions are studied in different frameworks, which often offer opposing views on their role in language and thought and their interpretation and usage. Some of these claims can be tested experimentally. In this paper, we present two reading experiments comparing the processing of literal and non-literal expressions in Russian. The results may help to tease apart different approaches to metaphor as well as to gain a better understanding of what units may be stored in the mental lexicon and how syntactic processing may proceed.