diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index a39d46e..84e2a1d 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -76,4 +76,5 @@
 * Philip Xu <pyx@xrefactor.com>
 * Charles de Lacombe <ealhad@mail.com>
 * John Patterson <john@johnppatterson.com>
-* Kai Lüke <kailueke@riseup.net>
\ No newline at end of file
+* Kai Lüke <kailueke@riseup.net>
+* Neil Lindquist <archer1mail@gmail.com
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index e5b6a63..763d680 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ Changes from 0.12.1
      `(try 1 (except [ValueError] 2) (else 3))` returns `3`.
    * xor: If exactly one argument is true, return it
    * hy.core.reserved is now hy.extra.reserved
+   * cond now supports single argument branches
 
    [ Bug Fixes ]
    * All shadowed operators have the same arities as real operators
diff --git a/docs/language/api.rst b/docs/language/api.rst
index a3d81e1..a31b6c8 100644
--- a/docs/language/api.rst
+++ b/docs/language/api.rst
@@ -374,6 +374,18 @@ shows the relationship between the macro and its expansion:
     (if condition-1 result-1
       (if condition-2 result-2))
 
+If only the condition is given in a branch, then the condition is also used as
+the result. The expansion of this single argument version is demonstrated
+below:
+
+.. code-block:: clj
+
+    (cond [condition-1]
+          [condition-2])
+
+    (if condition-1 condition-1
+      (if condition-2 condition-2))
+
 As shown below, only the first matching result block is executed.
 
 .. code-block:: clj
diff --git a/hy/core/macros.hy b/hy/core/macros.hy
index c96feb1..e1ca49a 100644
--- a/hy/core/macros.hy
+++ b/hy/core/macros.hy
@@ -56,10 +56,10 @@
        (if (not (= (type branch) HyList))
          (macro-error branch "cond branches need to be a list"))
        (if (< (len branch) 2)
-         (macro-error branch "cond branches need at least two items: a test and one or more code branches"))
-       (setv test (first branch))
-       (setv thebranch (cut branch 1))
-       `(if ~test (do ~@thebranch)))
+         (do
+           (setv g (gensym))
+           `(if (do (setv ~g ~(first branch)) ~g) ~g))
+         `(if ~(first branch) (do ~@(cut branch 1)))))
 
      (setv root (check-branch branch))
      (setv latest-branch root)
diff --git a/tests/native_tests/language.hy b/tests/native_tests/language.hy
index 1baaedd..49b5305 100644
--- a/tests/native_tests/language.hy
+++ b/tests/native_tests/language.hy
@@ -291,7 +291,17 @@
   (cond
    [(= 1 2) (assert (is True False))]
    [(is None None) (setv x True) (assert x)])
-  (assert (= (cond) None)))
+  (assert (= (cond) None))
+
+  (assert (= (cond
+    [False]
+    [[]]
+    [8])) 8)
+
+  ;make sure test is only evaluated once
+  (setv x 0)
+  (cond [(do (+= x 1) True)])
+  (assert (= x 1)))
 
 
 (defn test-if []