diff --git a/eval/closure.go b/eval/closure.go
index d3763eb1..ec3c700d 100644
--- a/eval/closure.go
+++ b/eval/closure.go
@@ -7,20 +7,25 @@ import (
 
 var ErrArityMismatch = errors.New("arity mismatch")
 
+var unnamedRestArg = ":"
+
 // Closure is a closure.
 type Closure struct {
 	ArgNames []string
+	// The name for the rest argument. If empty, the function has fixed arity.
+	// If equal to unnamedRestArg, the rest argument is unnamed but can be
+	// accessed via $args.
+	RestArg  string
 	Op       Op
 	Captured map[string]Variable
-	Variadic bool
 }
 
 func (*Closure) Kind() string {
 	return "fn"
 }
 
-func newClosure(a []string, op Op, e map[string]Variable, v bool) *Closure {
-	return &Closure{a, op, e, v}
+func newClosure(a []string, r string, op Op, e map[string]Variable) *Closure {
+	return &Closure{a, r, op, e}
 }
 
 func (c *Closure) Repr(int) string {
@@ -29,10 +34,15 @@ func (c *Closure) Repr(int) string {
 
 // Call calls a closure.
 func (c *Closure) Call(ec *EvalCtx, args []Value) {
-	// TODO Support optional/rest argument
 	// TODO Support keyword arguments
-	if !c.Variadic && len(args) != len(c.ArgNames) {
-		throw(ErrArityMismatch)
+	if c.RestArg != "" {
+		if len(c.ArgNames) > len(args) {
+			throw(ErrArityMismatch)
+		}
+	} else {
+		if len(c.ArgNames) != len(args) {
+			throw(ErrArityMismatch)
+		}
 	}
 
 	// This evalCtx is dedicated to the current form, so we modify it in place.
@@ -46,10 +56,11 @@ func (c *Closure) Call(ec *EvalCtx, args []Value) {
 	}
 	// Make local namespace and pass arguments.
 	ec.local = make(map[string]Variable)
-	if !c.Variadic {
-		for i, name := range c.ArgNames {
-			ec.local[name] = NewPtrVariable(args[i])
-		}
+	for i, name := range c.ArgNames {
+		ec.local[name] = NewPtrVariable(args[i])
+	}
+	if c.RestArg != "" && c.RestArg != unnamedRestArg {
+		ec.local[c.RestArg] = NewPtrVariable(NewList(args[len(c.ArgNames):]...))
 	}
 	ec.local["args"] = NewPtrVariable(List{&args})
 	ec.local["kwargs"] = NewPtrVariable(Map{&map[Value]Value{}})
diff --git a/eval/compileValuesOp.go b/eval/compileValuesOp.go
index 1c1c09fc..f8844351 100644
--- a/eval/compileValuesOp.go
+++ b/eval/compileValuesOp.go
@@ -346,26 +346,44 @@ func captureOutput(ec *EvalCtx, op Op) []Value {
 func (cp *compiler) lambda(n *parse.Primary) ValuesOpFunc {
 	// Collect argument names
 	var argNames []string
-	var variadic bool
-	if n.List != nil {
+	var restArg string
+	if n.List == nil {
+		// { chunk }
+		restArg = unnamedRestArg
+	} else {
 		// [argument list]{ chunk }
 		argNames = make([]string, len(n.List.Compounds))
 		for i, arg := range n.List.Compounds {
-			name := mustString(cp, arg, "expect string")
-			argNames[i] = name
+			qname := mustString(cp, arg, "expect string")
+			splice, ns, name := parseVariable(qname)
+			if ns != "" {
+				cp.errorpf(arg.Begin(), arg.End(), "must be unqualified")
+			}
+			if name == "" {
+				cp.errorpf(arg.Begin(), arg.End(), "argument name must not be empty")
+			}
+			if splice {
+				if i != len(n.List.Compounds)-1 {
+					cp.errorpf(arg.Begin(), arg.End(), "only the last argument may have @")
+				}
+				restArg = name
+				argNames = argNames[:i]
+			} else {
+				argNames[i] = name
+			}
 		}
-	} else {
-		// { chunk }
-		variadic = true
 	}
 
-	// XXX The fiddlings with cp.capture is likely wrong.
+	// XXX The fiddlings with cp.capture is error-prone.
 	thisScope := cp.pushScope()
-	thisScope["args"] = true
-	thisScope["kwargs"] = true
 	for _, argName := range argNames {
 		thisScope[argName] = true
 	}
+	if restArg != "" {
+		thisScope[restArg] = true
+	}
+	thisScope["args"] = true
+	thisScope["kwargs"] = true
 	op := cp.chunkOp(n.Chunk)
 	capture := cp.capture
 	cp.capture = scope{}
@@ -380,7 +398,7 @@ func (cp *compiler) lambda(n *parse.Primary) ValuesOpFunc {
 		for name := range capture {
 			evCapture[name] = ec.ResolveVar("", name)
 		}
-		return []Value{newClosure(argNames, op, evCapture, variadic)}
+		return []Value{newClosure(argNames, restArg, op, evCapture)}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/eval/eval_test.go b/eval/eval_test.go
index e9ebc706..5021a734 100644
--- a/eval/eval_test.go
+++ b/eval/eval_test.go
@@ -150,11 +150,21 @@ var evalTests = []struct {
 	  {inc2,put2}=(f); $put2; $inc2; $put2`,
 		strs("0", "1", "0", "1"), nomore},
 
-	// fn and return.
+	// fn.
 	{"fn f [x]{ put x=$x'.' }; f lorem; f ipsum",
 		strs("x=lorem.", "x=ipsum."), nomore},
+	// return.
 	{"fn f []{ put a; return; put b }; f", strs("a"), nomore},
 
+	// rest args and $args.
+	{"[x @xs]{ put $x $xs $args } a b c",
+		[]Value{String("a"),
+			NewList(String("b"), String("c")),
+			NewList(String("a"), String("b"), String("c"))}, nomore},
+	// $args.
+	{"{ put $args } lorem ipsum",
+		[]Value{NewList(String("lorem"), String("ipsum"))}, nomore},
+
 	// Namespaces
 	// Pseudo-namespaces local: and up:
 	{"x=lorem; []{local:x=ipsum; put $up:x $local:x}",