diff --git a/src/rustc/middle/borrowck.rs b/src/rustc/middle/borrowck.rs
index 38559aec28d..eb78e46f273 100644
--- a/src/rustc/middle/borrowck.rs
+++ b/src/rustc/middle/borrowck.rs
@@ -467,7 +467,9 @@ impl to_str_methods for borrowck_ctxt {
           cat_special(sk_method) { "method" }
           cat_special(sk_static_item) { "static item" }
           cat_special(sk_self) { "self reference" }
-          cat_special(sk_heap_upvar) { "variable declared in an outer block" }
+          cat_special(sk_heap_upvar) {
+              "captured outer variable in a heap closure"
+          }
           cat_rvalue { "non-lvalue" }
           cat_local(_) { mut_str + " local variable" }
           cat_binding(_) { "pattern binding" }
@@ -475,7 +477,7 @@ impl to_str_methods for borrowck_ctxt {
           cat_deref(_, _, pk) { #fmt["dereference of %s %s pointer",
                                      mut_str, self.pk_to_sigil(pk)] }
           cat_stack_upvar(_) {
-            mut_str + " variable declared in an outer block"
+            "captured outer " + mut_str + " variable in a stack closure"
           }
           cat_comp(_, comp_field(*)) { mut_str + " field" }
           cat_comp(_, comp_tuple) { "tuple content" }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/block-deinitializes-upvar.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/block-deinitializes-upvar.rs
index 679e3c4797b..cfcf2bffb34 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/block-deinitializes-upvar.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/block-deinitializes-upvar.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// error-pattern:moving out of immutable variable declared in an outer block
+// error-pattern:moving out of captured outer immutable variable in a stack closure
 fn force(f: fn()) { f(); }
 fn main() {
     let mut x = @{x: 17, y: 2};
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/borrowck-lend-flow.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/borrowck-lend-flow.rs
index 7b050275b43..9a0af32e78b 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/borrowck-lend-flow.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/borrowck-lend-flow.rs
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ fn loop_in_block() {
     let mut v = ~3, w = ~4;
     let mut _x = &mut w;
     for uint::range(0u, 10u) |_i| {
-        borrow(v); //~ ERROR loan of mutable variable declared in an outer block as immutable conflicts with prior loan
+        borrow(v); //~ ERROR loan of captured outer mutable variable in a stack closure as immutable conflicts with prior loan
         _x = &mut v; //~ NOTE prior loan as mutable granted here
     }
 }
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ fn at_most_once_block() {
     let mut v = ~3, w = ~4;
     let mut _x = &mut w;
     do at_most_once {
-        borrow(v); //~ ERROR loan of mutable variable declared in an outer block as immutable conflicts with prior loan
+        borrow(v); //~ ERROR loan of captured outer mutable variable in a stack closure as immutable conflicts with prior loan
         _x = &mut v; //~ NOTE prior loan as mutable granted here
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/borrowck-loan-blocks-mut-uniq.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/borrowck-loan-blocks-mut-uniq.rs
index ad9eb9c4874..2483c3e24f6 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/borrowck-loan-blocks-mut-uniq.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/borrowck-loan-blocks-mut-uniq.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ fn borrow(v: &int, f: fn(x: &int)) {
 fn box_imm() {
     let mut v = ~3;
     do borrow(v) |w| { //~ NOTE loan of mutable local variable granted here
-        v = ~4; //~ ERROR assigning to mutable variable declared in an outer block prohibited due to outstanding loan
+        v = ~4; //~ ERROR assigning to captured outer mutable variable in a stack closure prohibited due to outstanding loan
         assert *v == 3;
         assert *w == 4;
     }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/cap-clause-move-upvar.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/cap-clause-move-upvar.rs
index c070c80edf9..6fd57cd09e2 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/cap-clause-move-upvar.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/cap-clause-move-upvar.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 fn main() {
     let x = 5;
     let _y = fn~(move x) -> int {
-        let _z = fn~(move x) -> int { x }; //~ ERROR moving out of variable declared in an outer block
+        let _z = fn~(move x) -> int { x }; //~ ERROR moving out of captured outer variable in a heap closure
         22
     };
 }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-1965.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-1965.rs
index b5e68b51ed4..9742acba1e3 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/issue-1965.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/issue-1965.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// error-pattern:moving out of immutable variable declared in an outer block
+// error-pattern:moving out of captured outer immutable variable in a stack closure
 fn test(-x: uint) {}
 
 fn main() {
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/lambda-mutate-nested.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/lambda-mutate-nested.rs
index 944282a4deb..8b673e2b307 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/lambda-mutate-nested.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/lambda-mutate-nested.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// error-pattern:assigning to immutable variable declared in an outer block
+// error-pattern:assigning to captured outer immutable variable in a stack closure
 // Make sure that nesting a block within a fn@ doesn't let us
 // mutate upvars from a fn@.
 fn f2(x: fn()) { x(); }
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/lambda-mutate.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/lambda-mutate.rs
index ce36ac7b127..8886f930e20 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/lambda-mutate.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/lambda-mutate.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// error-pattern:assigning to variable declared in an outer block
+// error-pattern:assigning to captured outer variable in a heap closure
 // Make sure we can't write to upvars from fn@s
 fn main() {
     let i = 0;