diff --git a/src/mkobj.c b/src/mkobj.c
index d57d8fa80..2555386e3 100644
--- a/src/mkobj.c
+++ b/src/mkobj.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.7	mkobj.c	$NHDT-Date: 1725138481 2024/08/31 21:08:01 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.304 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.7	mkobj.c	$NHDT-Date: 1737528890 2025/01/21 22:54:50 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.315 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Derek S. Ray, 2015. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -2673,6 +2673,8 @@ container_weight(struct obj *object)
 void
 dealloc_obj(struct obj *obj)
 {
+    if (obj->otyp == BOULDER)
+        obj->next_boulder = 0;
     if (obj->where == OBJ_DELETED) {
         impossible("dealloc_obj: obj already deleted (type=%d)", obj->otyp);
         return;
diff --git a/src/objnam.c b/src/objnam.c
index b566778e7..8340f752b 100644
--- a/src/objnam.c
+++ b/src/objnam.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.7	objnam.c	$NHDT-Date: 1732979463 2024/11/30 07:11:03 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.439 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.7	objnam.c	$NHDT-Date: 1737528848 2025/01/21 22:54:08 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.444 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Robert Patrick Rankin, 2011. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -810,6 +810,9 @@ xname_flags(
                more robust because the default value for that overloaded
                field (obj->corpsenm) is NON_PM (-1) rather than 0 */
             Strcat(strcpy(buf, "next "), actualn); /* "next boulder" */
+            /* once "next boulder" occurs, subsequent messages should just
+               use ordinary "boulder" */
+            obj->next_boulder = 0;
         } else {
             Strcpy(buf, actualn); /* "boulder" or "statue" */
         }
diff --git a/src/shk.c b/src/shk.c
index 31aec5c8b..3463effbd 100644
--- a/src/shk.c
+++ b/src/shk.c
@@ -1131,6 +1131,8 @@ obfree(struct obj *obj, struct obj *merge)
         delete_contents(obj);
     if (Is_container(obj))
         maybe_reset_pick(obj);
+    if (obj->otyp == BOULDER)
+        obj->next_boulder = 0;
 
     shkp = 0;
     if (obj->unpaid) {