diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/pins.go b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/pins.go
index 1bed3a126..9b22be977 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/pins.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/pins.go
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ func (m *Module) placePin(ctx context.Context, root string, p pin, failure strin
 		}
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("the pin of %s at commit %s is on no pull request head of %s on the forge; go said: %s", p.module, p.short, repository, causeLine(failure))
 	}
-	// One placement per repository and commit, shared by every go.mod directory of the tree that pins it.
+	// One laid copy per repository and commit, shared by every go.mod directory of the tree that pins it.
 	at := filepath.Join(root, "pinned", p.repo+"@"+commit)
 	where := filepath.Join(at, "beside", p.repo, filepath.FromSlash(p.sub))
 	if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(at, "beside", p.repo)); err == nil {
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/pins_test.go b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/pins_test.go
index 75a5085af..2d7bb1bca 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/pins_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/pins_test.go
@@ -190,8 +190,8 @@ func TestAVendoringDirectoryResolvesNothing(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 // 1148/AC1 (a repository with several go.mod directories, as mesh-catalog has): two directories pinning the same pull
-// head share one placement and both are handed a modfile; the fetch does not fail placing it twice.
-func TestTwoDirectoriesPinningOneHeadShareOnePlacement(t *testing.T) {
+// head share one laid copy and both are handed a modfile; the fetch does not fail laying it twice.
+func TestTwoDirectoriesPinningOneHeadShareOneCopy(t *testing.T) {
 	h, states := newPinHarness(t, pinnedGoMod, false, pullList)
 	h.f.gomods = "go.mod\nsub/go.mod\n"
 	res, st := h.fetch(states)
@@ -214,8 +214,8 @@ func TestTwoDirectoriesPinningOneHeadShareOnePlacement(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// 1148/AC1: two directories pinning two different commits of one repository get two placements, each its own.
-func TestTwoCommitsOfOneRepositoryGetTwoPlacements(t *testing.T) {
+// 1148/AC1: two directories pinning two different commits of one repository get two copies, each its own.
+func TestTwoCommitsOfOneRepositoryGetTwoCopies(t *testing.T) {
 	other := "fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98"
 	h, states := newPinHarness(t, pinnedGoMod, false, commitSHA+"\trefs/pull/7/head\n"+other+"\trefs/pull/8/head\n")
 	h.f.gomods = "go.mod\nsub/go.mod\n"
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ func TestTwoCommitsOfOneRepositoryGetTwoPlacements(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	for _, c := range []string{commitSHA, other} {
 		if !h.ran("pinned/mesh-sdk@" + c) {
-			t.Errorf("no placement of mesh-sdk at %s", c)
+			t.Errorf("no copy of mesh-sdk at %s", c)
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/versions.go b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/versions.go
index 06f5890ce..ed982f4e8 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/versions.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-build-go/cmd/mesh-build-go/versions.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ type downloadInfo struct {
 // takeVersions writes the asked versions into the modfile of dir (d in the tree) and answers what it took, one entry per
 // asked package its go.mod requires. A package go.mod replaces is built as go.mod says, and said. A version that can be
 // neither fetched nor found among the forge's pull request heads fails the fetch, naming it. pins serialises the
-// placements a workspace's directories share.
+// laid copies a workspace's directories share.
 func (m *Module) takeVersions(ctx context.Context, root, dir, d string, asked sdkstep.PackageVersions, pins *sync.Mutex) ([]TakenVersion, error) {
 	raw, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(dir, "go.mod"))
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/modules/messenger/cmd/messenger/asks.go b/modules/messenger/cmd/messenger/asks.go
index ef45f15f3..a43c78e8c 100644
--- a/modules/messenger/cmd/messenger/asks.go
+++ b/modules/messenger/cmd/messenger/asks.go
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ func (h *Holder) warmRootFree(force bool) {
 }
 
 // rootWordFor asks the root-free word for a kind fresh, before the work is taken, and answers
-// what judging an answer of that kind then reads: the word for that very kind's placement, or why there is none.
+// what judging an answer of that kind then reads: the word for that very kind's own, or why there is none.
 // A kind that does not prove its sender is asked nothing: its answers never approve.
 func (h *Holder) rootWordFor(kind string) func(KindInfo) string {
 	if h.Bench == nil {