diff --git a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_common.hpp b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_common.hpp
index 1a920bd..6a01d67 100644
--- a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_common.hpp
+++ b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_common.hpp
@@ -495,7 +495,6 @@ namespace chaiscript
   {
     namespace detail
     {
-
       /// Special type for returned values
       struct Return_Value {
         Boxed_Value retval;
diff --git a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_engine.hpp b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_engine.hpp
index 77ce45a..a266bc6 100644
--- a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_engine.hpp
+++ b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_engine.hpp
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ namespace chaiscript
         parser::ChaiScript_Parser parser;
         if (parser.parse(t_input, t_filename)) {
           //parser.show_match_stack();
-          return parser.ast()->eval(m_engine);
+          return parser.optimized_ast()->eval(m_engine);
         } else {
           return Boxed_Value();
         }
diff --git a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_parser.hpp b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_parser.hpp
index f6b2b12..ccd9248 100644
--- a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_parser.hpp
+++ b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_parser.hpp
@@ -196,6 +196,60 @@ namespace chaiscript
         return m_match_stack.front();
       }
 
+      static void optimize_blocks(AST_NodePtr &p)
+      {
+        for (auto &c : p->children)
+        {
+          if (c->identifier == AST_Node_Type::Block) {
+            if (c->children.size() == 1) {
+              std::cout << "swapping out block child for block\n";
+              c = c->children[0];
+            }
+          }
+          optimize_blocks(c);
+        }
+      }
+
+      static void optimize_returns(AST_NodePtr &p)
+      {
+        for (auto &c : p->children)
+        {
+          if (c->identifier == AST_Node_Type::Def && c->children.size() > 0) {
+            auto &lastchild = c->children.back();
+            if (lastchild->identifier == AST_Node_Type::Block) {
+              auto &blocklastchild = lastchild->children.back();
+              if (blocklastchild->identifier == AST_Node_Type::Return) {
+                if (blocklastchild->children.size() == 1) {
+                  blocklastchild = blocklastchild->children[0];
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+          optimize_returns(c);
+        }
+      }
+
+      static int count_nodes(const AST_NodePtr &p)
+      {
+        int count = 1;
+        for (auto &c : p->children) {
+          count += count_nodes(c);
+        }
+        return count;
+      }
+
+      AST_NodePtr optimized_ast() {
+        std::cout << " Optimizing AST \n";
+        AST_NodePtr p = m_match_stack.front();
+        std::cout << "Node Count: " << count_nodes(p) << '\n';
+        optimize_blocks(p);
+        std::cout << "Optimized Block Node Count: " << count_nodes(p) << '\n';
+        optimize_returns(p);
+        std::cout << "Returns Block Node Count: " << count_nodes(p) << '\n';
+        return p;
+      }
+
+
       /// Helper function that collects ast_nodes from a starting position to the top of the stack into a new AST node
       void build_match(AST_NodePtr t_t, size_t t_match_start) {
         int pos_line_start, pos_col_start, pos_line_stop, pos_col_stop;
diff --git a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_prelude.chai b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_prelude.chai
index 1db8702..88835c5 100644
--- a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_prelude.chai
+++ b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_prelude.chai
@@ -38,7 +38,24 @@ def eq(l, r) {
 
 def new(x) { 
   eval(type_name(x))(); 
-} 
+}
+
+def clone(double x) {
+  double(x).copy_var_attrs(x)
+}
+
+def clone(string x) {
+  string(x).copy_var_attrs(x)
+}
+
+def clone(vector x) {
+  vector(x).copy_var_attrs(x)
+}
+
+
+def clone(int x) {
+  int(x).copy_var_attrs(x)
+}
 
 def clone(x) : function_exists(type_name(x)) && call_exists(eval(type_name(x)), x)
 {