diff -r c89febab4648 Lib/test/test_scope.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_scope.py	Wed May 08 18:12:35 2013 +0200
+++ b/Lib/test/test_scope.py	Thu May 09 17:17:16 2013 -0700
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import gc
 import unittest
 from test.support import check_syntax_error, cpython_only, run_unittest
 
@@ -713,7 +714,6 @@
         def b():
             global a
 
-
     def testClassNamespaceOverridesClosure(self):
         # See #17853.
         x = 42
@@ -727,6 +727,45 @@
         self.assertFalse(hasattr(X, "x"))
         self.assertEqual(x, 42)
 
+    @cpython_only
+    def testCellLeak(self):
+        # Issue 17927.
+        #
+        # The issue was that if self was part of a cycle involving the
+        # frame of a method call, *and* the method contained a nested
+        # function referencing self, thereby forcing 'self' into a
+        # cell, setting self to None would not be enough to break the
+        # frame -- the frame had another reference to the instance,
+        # which could not be cleared by the code running in the frame
+        # (though it will be cleared when the frame is collected).
+        # Without the lambda, setting self to None is enough to break
+        # the cycle.
+        logs = []
+        class Canary:
+            def __del__(self):
+                logs.append('canary')
+        class Base:
+            def dig(self):
+                pass
+        class Tester(Base):
+            def __init__(self):
+                self.canary = Canary()
+            def dig(self):
+                if 0:
+                    lambda: self
+                try:
+                    1/0
+                except Exception as exc:
+                    self.exc = exc
+                super().dig()
+                self = None  # Break the cycle
+        tester = Tester()
+        tester.dig()
+        del tester
+        logs.append('collect')
+        gc.collect()
+        self.assertEqual(logs, ['canary', 'collect'])
+
 
 def test_main():
     run_unittest(ScopeTests)
diff -r c89febab4648 Objects/typeobject.c
--- a/Objects/typeobject.c	Wed May 08 18:12:35 2013 +0200
+++ b/Objects/typeobject.c	Thu May 09 17:17:16 2013 -0700
@@ -6510,6 +6510,10 @@
             return -1;
         }
         obj = f->f_localsplus[0];
+        if (obj != NULL && PyCell_Check(obj)) {
+            /* It might be a cell.  See cell var initialization in ceval.c. */
+            obj = PyCell_GET(obj);
+        }
         if (obj == NULL) {
             PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError,
                             "super(): arg[0] deleted");
diff -r c89febab4648 Python/ceval.c
--- a/Python/ceval.c	Wed May 08 18:12:35 2013 +0200
+++ b/Python/ceval.c	Thu May 09 17:17:16 2013 -0700
@@ -3519,12 +3519,20 @@
         int arg;
         /* Possibly account for the cell variable being an argument. */
         if (co->co_cell2arg != NULL &&
-            (arg = co->co_cell2arg[i]) != CO_CELL_NOT_AN_ARG)
+            (arg = co->co_cell2arg[i]) != CO_CELL_NOT_AN_ARG) {
             c = PyCell_New(GETLOCAL(arg));
-        else
+            if (c == NULL)
+                goto fail;
+            /* Reference the cell from the argument slot, for super().
+               See typeobject.c. */
+            Py_INCREF(c);
+            SETLOCAL(arg, c);
+        }
+        else {
             c = PyCell_New(NULL);
-        if (c == NULL)
-            goto fail;
+            if (c == NULL)
+                goto fail;
+        }
         SETLOCAL(co->co_nlocals + i, c);
     }
     for (i = 0; i < PyTuple_GET_SIZE(co->co_freevars); ++i) {