diff --git a/src/calibre/db/search.py b/src/calibre/db/search.py
index d01db38552..448b0f896d 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/search.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/search.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ from calibre.constants import preferred_encoding
 from calibre.db.utils import force_to_bool
 from calibre.utils.config_base import prefs
 from calibre.utils.date import parse_date, UNDEFINED_DATE, now, dt_as_local
-from calibre.utils.icu import primary_find, sort_key
+from calibre.utils.icu import primary_contains, sort_key
 from calibre.utils.localization import lang_map, canonicalize_lang
 from calibre.utils.search_query_parser import SearchQueryParser, ParseException
 
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ def _match(query, value, matchkind, use_primary_find_in_search=True):
                     return True
             elif matchkind == CONTAINS_MATCH:
                 if use_primary_find_in_search:
-                    if primary_find(query, t)[0] != -1:
+                    if primary_contains(query, t):
                         return True
                 elif query in t:
                         return True
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/complete2.py b/src/calibre/gui2/complete2.py
index 623215a6e6..7c98e6477c 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/complete2.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/complete2.py
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@ from PyQt4.Qt import (QLineEdit, QAbstractListModel, Qt, pyqtSignal, QObject,
         QApplication, QListView, QPoint, QModelIndex, QFont, QFontInfo)
 
 from calibre.constants import isosx, get_osx_version
-from calibre.utils.icu import sort_key, primary_startswith, primary_find
+from calibre.utils.icu import sort_key, primary_startswith, primary_contains
 from calibre.gui2 import NONE
 from calibre.gui2.widgets import EnComboBox, LineEditECM
 from calibre.utils.config import tweaks
 
 def containsq(x, prefix):
-    return primary_find(prefix, x)[0] != -1
+    return primary_contains(prefix, x)
 
 class CompleteModel(QAbstractListModel):  # {{{
 
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/tag_editor.py b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/tag_editor.py
index 15959543e5..ef16dc4704 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/tag_editor.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/tag_editor.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from PyQt4.QtGui import QDialog
 from calibre.gui2.dialogs.tag_editor_ui import Ui_TagEditor
 from calibre.gui2 import question_dialog, error_dialog, gprefs
 from calibre.constants import islinux
-from calibre.utils.icu import sort_key, primary_find
+from calibre.utils.icu import sort_key, primary_contains
 
 class TagEditor(QDialog, Ui_TagEditor):
 
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ class TagEditor(QDialog, Ui_TagEditor):
         q = icu_lower(unicode(filter_value))
         for i in xrange(collection.count()):  # on every available tag
             item = collection.item(i)
-            item.setHidden(bool(q and primary_find(q, unicode(item.text()))[0] == -1))
+            item.setHidden(bool(q and not primary_contains(q, unicode(item.text()))))
 
     def accept(self):
         self.save_state()
diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/icu.c b/src/calibre/utils/icu.c
index 34649afa3f..22c9bbb811 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/icu.c
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/icu.c
@@ -229,6 +229,39 @@ end:
     return (PyErr_Occurred()) ? NULL : Py_BuildValue("ii", pos, length);
 } // }}}
 
+// Collator.contains {{{
+static PyObject *
+icu_Collator_contains(icu_Collator *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs) {
+    PyObject *a_ = NULL, *b_ = NULL;
+    UChar *a = NULL, *b = NULL;
+    int32_t asz = 0, bsz = 0, pos = -1;
+    uint8_t found = 0;
+    UErrorCode status = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+    UStringSearch *search = NULL;
+  
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "OO", &a_, &b_)) return NULL;
+
+    a = python_to_icu(a_, &asz, 1);
+    if (a == NULL) goto end;
+    if (asz == 0) { found = TRUE; goto end; }
+    b = python_to_icu(b_, &bsz, 1);
+    if (b == NULL) goto end;
+
+    search = usearch_openFromCollator(a, asz, b, bsz, self->collator, NULL, &status);
+    if (U_SUCCESS(status)) {
+        pos = usearch_first(search, &status);
+        if (pos != USEARCH_DONE) found = TRUE;
+    }
+end:
+    if (search != NULL) usearch_close(search);
+    if (a != NULL) free(a);
+    if (b != NULL) free(b);
+
+    if (PyErr_Occurred()) return NULL;
+    if (found) Py_RETURN_TRUE;
+    Py_RETURN_FALSE;
+} // }}}
+
 // Collator.contractions {{{
 static PyObject *
 icu_Collator_contractions(icu_Collator *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs) {
@@ -366,6 +399,10 @@ static PyMethodDef icu_Collator_methods[] = {
         "find(pattern, source) -> returns the position and length of the first occurrence of pattern in source. Returns (-1, -1) if not found."
     },
 
+    {"contains", (PyCFunction)icu_Collator_contains, METH_VARARGS,
+        "contains(pattern, source) -> return True iff the pattern was found in the source."
+    },
+
     {"contractions", (PyCFunction)icu_Collator_contractions, METH_VARARGS,
         "contractions() -> returns the contractions defined for this collator."
     },
diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/icu.py b/src/calibre/utils/icu.py
index df4c369365..f6973c72a6 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/icu.py
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/icu.py
@@ -203,6 +203,10 @@ find = _make_func(_strcmp_template, 'find', collator='_collator', collator_func=
 
 primary_find = _make_func(_strcmp_template, 'primary_find', collator='_primary_collator', collator_func='primary_collator', func='find')
 
+contains = _make_func(_strcmp_template, 'contains', collator='_collator', collator_func='collator', func='contains')
+
+primary_contains = _make_func(_strcmp_template, 'primary_contains', collator='_primary_collator', collator_func='primary_collator', func='contains')
+
 startswith = _make_func(_strcmp_template, 'startswith', collator='_collator', collator_func='collator', func='startswith')
 
 primary_startswith = _make_func(_strcmp_template, 'primary_startswith', collator='_primary_collator', collator_func='primary_collator', func='startswith')
diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/icu_test.py b/src/calibre/utils/icu_test.py
index d6d5f557f4..3b2775e454 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/icu_test.py
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/icu_test.py
@@ -102,6 +102,12 @@ class TestICU(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertFalse(icu.startswith('xyz', 'a'))
         self.assertTrue(icu.startswith('xxx', ''))
         self.assertTrue(icu.primary_startswith('pena', 'peña'))
+        self.assertTrue(icu.contains('\U0001f431', '\U0001f431'))
+        self.assertTrue(icu.contains('something', 'some other something else'))
+        self.assertTrue(icu.contains('', 'a'))
+        self.assertTrue(icu.contains('', ''))
+        self.assertFalse(icu.contains('xxx', 'xx'))
+        self.assertTrue(icu.primary_contains('pena', 'peña'))
 
     def test_collation_order(self):
         'Testing collation ordering'