diff --git a/src/mthrowu.c b/src/mthrowu.c
index e7340a04b..712dbfc01 100644
--- a/src/mthrowu.c
+++ b/src/mthrowu.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.6	mthrowu.c	$NHDT-Date: 1586567393 2020/04/11 01:09:53 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.99 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.6	mthrowu.c	$NHDT-Date: 1595866809 2020/07/27 16:20:09 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.7 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.101 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Pasi Kallinen, 2016. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -425,7 +425,14 @@ boolean verbose;    /* give message(s) even when you can't see what happened */
                                                                 : AT_WEAP),
                         otmp)) {
             if (vis && mtmp->mcansee)
-                pline("%s is blinded by %s.", Monnam(mtmp), the(xname(otmp)));
+                /* shorten object name to reduce redundancy in the
+                   two message [first via hit() above] sequence:
+                   "The {splash of venom,cream pie} hits <mon>."
+                   "<Mon> is blinded by the {venom,pie}." */
+                pline("%s is blinded by %s.", Monnam(mtmp),
+                      the((otmp->oclass == VENOM_CLASS) ? "venom"
+                          : (otmp->otyp == CREAM_PIE) ? "pie"
+                            : xname(otmp))); /* catchall; not used */
             mtmp->mcansee = 0;
             tmp = (int) mtmp->mblinded + rnd(25) + 20;
             if (tmp > 127)