diff --git a/src/library/elaborator/elaborator.cpp b/src/library/elaborator/elaborator.cpp
index 8acd846633..6e57a7278c 100644
--- a/src/library/elaborator/elaborator.cpp
+++ b/src/library/elaborator/elaborator.cpp
@@ -1650,7 +1650,7 @@ class elaborator::imp {
             }
         }
 
-        if (!is_meta_app(a) && !is_meta_app(b) && normalize_head(a, b, c)) { return true; }
+        if (!is_meta(a) && !is_meta(b) && normalize_head(a, b, c)) { return true; }
 
         if (process_simple_ho_match(ctx, a, b, true, c) ||
             process_simple_ho_match(ctx, b, a, false, c))
diff --git a/tests/lean/sum2.lean.expected.out b/tests/lean/sum2.lean.expected.out
index b517734eec..62626daf09 100644
--- a/tests/lean/sum2.lean.expected.out
+++ b/tests/lean/sum2.lean.expected.out
@@ -27,5 +27,4 @@ n :
     sum A B,
 pred :
     (proj1 (subtype::rep n) = optional::none) ≠ (proj2 (subtype::rep n) = optional::none)
-⊢ (∃ a : A, n = subtype::abst (tuple (optional::some a), optional::none) (sum::inhabl (inhabited_intro a) B)) ∨
-    (∃ b : B, n = subtype::abst (tuple optional::none, (optional::some b)) (sum::inhabr A (inhabited_intro b)))
+⊢ (∃ a : A, n = sum::inl a B) ∨ (∃ b : B, n = sum::inr A b)
diff --git a/tests/lean/sum3.lean b/tests/lean/sum3.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..03ceb66ef0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lean/sum3.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+-- Copyright (c) 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+-- Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+-- Author: Leonardo de Moura
+import macros
+import pair
+import subtype
+import optional
+using subtype
+using optional
+-- We are encoding the (sum A B) as a subtype of (optional A) # (optional B), where
+--    (proj1 n = none) ≠ (proj2 n = none)
+definition sum_pred (A B : (Type U)) := λ p : (optional A) # (optional B), (proj1 p = none) ≠ (proj2 p = none)
+definition sum (A B : (Type U)) := subtype ((optional A) # (optional B)) (sum_pred A B)
+
+namespace sum
+theorem inl_pred {A : (Type U)} (a : A) (B : (Type U)) : sum_pred A B (pair (some a) none)
+:= not_intro
+     (assume N  : (some a = none) = (none = (@none B)),
+      have   eq :   some a = none,
+         from (symm N) ◂ (refl (@none B)),
+      show false,
+         from absurd eq (distinct a))
+
+theorem inr_pred (A : (Type U)) {B : (Type U)} (b : B) : sum_pred A B (pair none (some b))
+:= not_intro
+     (assume N  : (none = (@none A)) = (some b = none),
+      have   eq :   some b = none,
+         from N ◂ (refl (@none A)),
+      show false,
+        from absurd eq (distinct b))
+
+theorem inhabl {A : (Type U)} (H : inhabited A) (B : (Type U)) : inhabited (sum A B)
+:= inhabited_elim H (take w : A,
+      subtype_inhabited (exists_intro (pair (some w) none) (inl_pred w B)))
+
+theorem inhabr (A : (Type U)) {B : (Type U)} (H : inhabited B) : inhabited (sum A B)
+:= inhabited_elim H (take w : B,
+      subtype_inhabited (exists_intro (pair none (some w)) (inr_pred A w)))
+
+definition inl {A : (Type U)} (a : A) (B : (Type U)) : sum A B
+:= abst (pair (some a) none) (inhabl (inhabited_intro a) B)
+
+definition inr (A : (Type U)) {B : (Type U)} (b : B) : sum A B
+:= abst (pair none (some b)) (inhabr A (inhabited_intro b))
+
+theorem inl_inj {A B : (Type U)} {a1 a2 : A} : inl a1 B = inl a2 B → a1 = a2
+:= assume Heq : inl a1 B = inl a2 B,
+     have eq1    : inl a1 B = abst (pair (some a1) none) (inhabl (inhabited_intro a1) B),
+        from refl (inl a1 B),
+     have eq2    : inl a2 B = abst (pair (some a2) none) (inhabl (inhabited_intro a1) B),
+        from subst (refl (inl a2 B)) (proof_irrel (inhabl (inhabited_intro a2) B) (inhabl (inhabited_intro a1) B)),
+     have rep_eq : (pair (some a1) none) = (pair (some a2) none),
+        from abst_inj (inhabl (inhabited_intro a1) B) (inl_pred a1 B) (inl_pred a2 B) (trans (trans (symm eq1) Heq) eq2),
+     show a1 = a2,
+        from optional::injectivity
+            (calc some a1 = proj1 (pair (some a1) (@none B))  : refl (some a1)
+                      ... = proj1 (pair (some a2) (@none B))  : pair_inj1 rep_eq
+                      ... = some a2                                     : refl (some a2))
+
+theorem inr_inj {A B : (Type U)} {b1 b2 : B} : inr A b1 = inr A b2 → b1 = b2
+:= assume Heq : inr A b1   = inr A b2,
+     have eq1    :  inr A b1 = abst (pair none (some b1)) (inhabr A (inhabited_intro b1)),
+        from refl (inr A b1),
+     have eq2    :  inr A b2 = abst (pair none (some b2)) (inhabr A (inhabited_intro b1)),
+        from subst (refl (inr A b2)) (proof_irrel (inhabr A (inhabited_intro b2)) (inhabr A (inhabited_intro b1))),
+     have rep_eq : (pair none (some b1)) = (pair none (some b2)),
+        from abst_inj (inhabr A (inhabited_intro b1)) (inr_pred A b1) (inr_pred A b2) (trans (trans (symm eq1) Heq) eq2),
+     show b1 = b2,
+        from optional::injectivity
+            (calc some b1 = proj2 (pair (@none A) (some b1))  : refl (some b1)
+                      ... = proj2 (pair (@none A) (some b2))  : pair_inj2 rep_eq
+                      ... = some b2                           : refl (some b2))
+
+theorem distinct {A B : (Type U)} (a : A) (b : B) : inl a B ≠ inr A b
+:= assume N : inl a B = inr A b,
+     have eq1   : inl a B = abst (pair (some a) none) (inhabl (inhabited_intro a) B),
+        from refl (inl a B),
+     have eq2   : inr A b = abst (pair none (some b)) (inhabl (inhabited_intro a) B),
+        from subst (refl (inr A b)) (proof_irrel (inhabr A (inhabited_intro b)) (inhabl (inhabited_intro a) B)),
+     have rep_eq : (pair (some a) none) = (pair none (some b)),
+        from abst_inj (inhabl (inhabited_intro a) B) (inl_pred a B) (inr_pred A b) (trans (trans (symm eq1) N) eq2),
+     show false,
+        from absurd (pair_inj1 rep_eq) (optional::distinct a)
+
+set_opaque optional false
+set_opaque subtype false
+set_opaque optional::some false
+set_opaque optional::none false
+set_opaque subtype::rep false
+set_opaque subtype::abst false
+set_opaque optional_pred false
+
+theorem dichotomy {A B : (Type U)} (n : sum A B) : (∃ a, n = inl a B) ∨ (∃ b, n = inr A b)
+:= let pred : (proj1 (rep n) = none) ≠ (proj2 (rep n) = none) := P_rep n
+   in _
diff --git a/tests/lean/sum3.lean.expected.out b/tests/lean/sum3.lean.expected.out
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bb61942185
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lean/sum3.lean.expected.out
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+  Set: pp::colors
+  Set: pp::unicode
+  Imported 'macros'
+  Imported 'pair'
+  Imported 'subtype'
+  Imported 'optional'
+  Using: subtype
+  Using: optional
+  Defined: sum_pred
+  Defined: sum
+  Proved: sum::inl_pred
+  Proved: sum::inr_pred
+  Proved: sum::inhabl
+  Proved: sum::inhabr
+  Defined: sum::inl
+  Defined: sum::inr
+  Proved: sum::inl_inj
+  Proved: sum::inr_inj
+  Proved: sum::distinct
+sum3.lean:96:0: error: invalid tactic command, unexpected end of file
+Proof state:
+A :
+    (Type U),
+B :
+    (Type U),
+n :
+    sum A B,
+pred :
+    (proj1 (subtype::rep n) = optional::none) ≠ (proj2 (subtype::rep n) = optional::none)
+⊢ (∃ a : A, n = sum::inl a B) ∨ (∃ b : B, n = sum::inr A b)