diff --git a/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js b/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
index c62e45c2..203be25c 100644
--- a/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
+++ b/spec/core/ExceptionFormatterSpec.js
@@ -41,8 +41,11 @@ describe("ExceptionFormatter", function() {
 
   describe("#stack", function() {
     it("formats stack traces from Webkit, Firefox or node.js", function() {
+      if (isIE()) { return; }
+
       var error;
-      try { throw new Error("an error") } catch(e) { error = e; };
+      try { throw new Error("an error") } catch(e) { error = e; }
+
       expect(new j$.ExceptionFormatter().stack(error)).toMatch(/ExceptionFormatterSpec\.js.*\d+/)
     });
 
diff --git a/spec/core/ObjectContainingSpec.js b/spec/core/ObjectContainingSpec.js
index 1bbd4696..673cb944 100644
--- a/spec/core/ObjectContainingSpec.js
+++ b/spec/core/ObjectContainingSpec.js
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ describe("ObjectContaining", function() {
   it("does not match an empty object actual", function() {
     var containing = new j$.ObjectContaining("foo");
 
-    expect(containing.jasmineMatches({})).toBe(false);
+    expect(function() {
+      containing.jasmineMatches({})
+    }).toThrowError(/not 'foo'/)
   });
 
   it("matches when the key/value pair is present in the actual", function() {
@@ -39,10 +41,21 @@ describe("ObjectContaining", function() {
     containing.jasmineMatches({foo: "fooVal", bar: "barVal"}, mismatchKeys, mismatchValues);
     
     expect(mismatchValues.length).toBe(1);
-    
     expect(mismatchValues[0]).toEqual("'foo' was 'fooVal' in actual, but was 'other' in expected.");
   });
 
+  it("adds keys in expected but not actual to the mismatchKeys parameter", function() {
+    var containing = new j$.ObjectContaining({foo: "fooVal"});
+
+    var mismatchKeys = [];
+    var mismatchValues = [];
+
+    containing.jasmineMatches({bar: "barVal"}, mismatchKeys, mismatchValues);
+
+    expect(mismatchKeys.length).toBe(1);
+    expect(mismatchKeys[0]).toEqual("expected has key 'foo', but missing from actual.");
+  });
+
   it("jasmineToString's itself", function() {
     var containing = new j$.ObjectContaining({});
 
diff --git a/spec/core/matchers/matchersUtilSpec.js b/spec/core/matchers/matchersUtilSpec.js
index 276cbf5b..82f070ef 100644
--- a/spec/core/matchers/matchersUtilSpec.js
+++ b/spec/core/matchers/matchersUtilSpec.js
@@ -111,6 +111,8 @@ describe("matchersUtil", function() {
     });
 
     it("passes for equivalent frozen objects (GitHub issue #266)", function() {
+      if (isIE(8)) { return; }
+
       var a = { foo: 1 },
         b = {foo: 1 };
 
diff --git a/spec/helpers/BrowserFlags.js b/spec/helpers/BrowserFlags.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9f9fb17a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/helpers/BrowserFlags.js
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+function isIE(version) {
+  var userAgent = jasmine.getGlobal().navigator.userAgent;
+  if (!userAgent) { return; }
+
+  var match = /MSIE ([0-9]{1,}[\.0-9]{0,})/.exec(userAgent);
+
+  return match && version ? parseFloat(match[1]) === version : match;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/core/ObjectContaining.js b/src/core/ObjectContaining.js
index df6831e8..f080523b 100644
--- a/src/core/ObjectContaining.js
+++ b/src/core/ObjectContaining.js
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ getJasmineRequireObj().ObjectContaining = function(j$) {
   }
 
   ObjectContaining.prototype.jasmineMatches = function(other, mismatchKeys, mismatchValues) {
+    if (typeof(this.sample) !== "object") { throw new Error("You must provide an object to objectContaining, not '"+this.sample+"'."); }
+
     mismatchKeys = mismatchKeys || [];
     mismatchValues = mismatchValues || [];
 
@@ -16,7 +18,7 @@ getJasmineRequireObj().ObjectContaining = function(j$) {
       if (!hasKey(other, property) && hasKey(this.sample, property)) {
         mismatchKeys.push("expected has key '" + property + "', but missing from actual.");
       }
-      else if (!j$.matchersUtil.equals(this.sample[property], other[property], mismatchKeys, mismatchValues)) {
+      else if (!j$.matchersUtil.equals(this.sample[property], other[property])) {
         mismatchValues.push("'" + property + "' was '" + (other[property] ? j$.util.htmlEscape(other[property].toString()) : other[property]) + "' in actual, but was '" + (this.sample[property] ? j$.util.htmlEscape(this.sample[property].toString()) : this.sample[property]) + "' in expected.");
       }
     }