diff --git a/internal/conditions/plain_test.go b/internal/conditions/plain_test.go
index c8d3e072..392f773c 100644
--- a/internal/conditions/plain_test.go
+++ b/internal/conditions/plain_test.go
@@ -258,9 +258,11 @@ func TestBorrowedWordsAreLogged(t *testing.T) {
 	loggedUnworded.Clear()
 	t.Cleanup(loggedUnworded.Clear)
 	var out bytes.Buffer
-	writer := log.Writer()
+	writer, flags := log.Writer(), log.Flags()
 	log.SetOutput(&out)
-	t.Cleanup(func() { log.SetOutput(writer) })
+	// Without the logger's own date and time, which would hold "23:3" itself from 23:30 to 23:39 (issue 752).
+	log.SetFlags(0)
+	t.Cleanup(func() { log.SetOutput(writer); log.SetFlags(flags) })
 	// A time that changes each observation, and a hash-shaped word: one line, quoting neither.
 	for _, at := range []string{"23:32", "23:33", "23:34"} {
 		if _, err := k.Observe(t.Context(), Observation{Scope: ScopeMachine, ID: "ace", Kind: "test-clock", Machine: "ace",