diff --git a/doc/fixes36.1 b/doc/fixes36.1
index 73c66e65d..5fb21cb77 100644
--- a/doc/fixes36.1
+++ b/doc/fixes36.1
@@ -527,6 +527,9 @@ fix 'object lost' panic if hero with lycanthropy but in human form is wielding
 prevent segfault if pline() is called recursively (which could happen if the
 	interface code issues a debugpline() while processing putstr())
 open at yourself is the same as #loot
+when #force reports that a chest's lock is already broken or already unlocked,
+	force it to be described as "a chest", even when its lock state is
+	already known, rather than as "a broken chest" or "an unlocked chest"
 
 
 Fixes to Post-3.6.0 Problems that Were Exposed Via git Repository
diff --git a/src/lock.c b/src/lock.c
index 996784ca7..9de1e29c5 100644
--- a/src/lock.c
+++ b/src/lock.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.6	lock.c	$NHDT-Date: 1521377334 2018/03/18 12:48:54 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.0 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.78 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.6	lock.c	$NHDT-Date: 1521499715 2018/03/19 22:48:35 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.0 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.80 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
@@ -549,8 +549,13 @@ doforce()
     for (otmp = level.objects[u.ux][u.uy]; otmp; otmp = otmp->nexthere)
         if (Is_box(otmp)) {
             if (otmp->obroken || !otmp->olocked) {
-                There("is %s here, but its lock is already %s.", doname(otmp),
-                      otmp->obroken ? "broken" : "unlocked");
+                /* force doname() to omit known "broken" or "unlocked"
+                   prefix so that the message isn't worded redundantly;
+                   since we're about to set lknown, there's no need to
+                   remember and then reset its current value */
+                otmp->lknown = 0;
+                There("is %s here, but its lock is already %s.",
+                      doname(otmp), otmp->obroken ? "broken" : "unlocked");
                 otmp->lknown = 1;
                 continue;
             }