diff --git a/src/audio/SDL_audio.c b/src/audio/SDL_audio.c
index 938e2b7ab..4dc3cf2c4 100644
--- a/src/audio/SDL_audio.c
+++ b/src/audio/SDL_audio.c
@@ -568,16 +568,16 @@ SDL_RunAudio(void *devicep)
             stream = current_audio.impl.GetDeviceBuf(device);
         } else {
             /* if the device isn't enabled, we still write to the
-               fake_stream, so the app's callback will fire with
+               work_buffer, so the app's callback will fire with
                a regular frequency, in case they depend on that
                for timing or progress. They can use hotplug
                now to know if the device failed.
-               Streaming playback uses fake_stream as a work buffer, too. */
+               Streaming playback uses work_buffer, too. */
             stream = NULL;
         }
 
         if (stream == NULL) {
-            stream = device->fake_stream;
+            stream = device->work_buffer;
         }
 
         if ( SDL_AtomicGet(&device->enabled) ) {
@@ -614,7 +614,7 @@ SDL_RunAudio(void *devicep)
                     current_audio.impl.WaitDevice(device);
                 }
             }
-        } else if (stream == device->fake_stream) {
+        } else if (stream == device->work_buffer) {
             /* nothing to do; pause like we queued a buffer to play. */
             SDL_Delay(delay);
         } else {  /* writing directly to the device. */
@@ -670,8 +670,8 @@ SDL_CaptureAudio(void *devicep)
         /* Fill the current buffer with sound */
         still_need = stream_len;
 
-        /* just use the "fake" stream to hold data read from the device. */
-        stream = device->fake_stream;
+        /* Use the work_buffer to hold data read from the device. */
+        stream = device->work_buffer;
         SDL_assert(stream != NULL);
 
         ptr = stream;
@@ -702,16 +702,16 @@ SDL_CaptureAudio(void *devicep)
             SDL_AudioStreamPut(device->stream, stream, stream_len);
 
             while (SDL_AudioStreamAvailable(device->stream) >= ((int) device->callbackspec.size)) {
-                const int got = SDL_AudioStreamGet(device->stream, device->fake_stream, device->callbackspec.size);
+                const int got = SDL_AudioStreamGet(device->stream, device->work_buffer, device->callbackspec.size);
                 SDL_assert((got < 0) || (got == device->callbackspec.size));
                 if (got != device->callbackspec.size) {
-                    SDL_memset(device->fake_stream, device->spec.silence, device->callbackspec.size);
+                    SDL_memset(device->work_buffer, device->spec.silence, device->callbackspec.size);
                 }
 
                 /* !!! FIXME: this should be LockDevice. */
                 SDL_LockMutex(device->mixer_lock);
                 if (!SDL_AtomicGet(&device->paused)) {
-                    callback(udata, device->fake_stream, device->callbackspec.size);
+                    callback(udata, device->work_buffer, device->callbackspec.size);
                 }
                 SDL_UnlockMutex(device->mixer_lock);
             }
@@ -958,7 +958,7 @@ close_audio_device(SDL_AudioDevice * device)
         SDL_DestroyMutex(device->mixer_lock);
     }
 
-    SDL_free(device->fake_stream);
+    SDL_free(device->work_buffer);
     SDL_FreeAudioStream(device->stream);
 
     if (device->hidden != NULL) {
@@ -1243,16 +1243,15 @@ open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
         device->spec.userdata = device;
     }
 
-    /* !!! FIXME: rename this from fake_stream */
     /* Allocate a scratch audio buffer */
-    device->fake_stream_len = build_stream ? device->callbackspec.size : 0;
-    if (device->spec.size > device->fake_stream_len) {
-        device->fake_stream_len = device->spec.size;
+    device->work_buffer_len = build_stream ? device->callbackspec.size : 0;
+    if (device->spec.size > device->work_buffer_len) {
+        device->work_buffer_len = device->spec.size;
     }
-    SDL_assert(device->fake_stream_len > 0);
+    SDL_assert(device->work_buffer_len > 0);
 
-    device->fake_stream = (Uint8 *) SDL_malloc(device->fake_stream_len);
-    if (device->fake_stream == NULL) {
+    device->work_buffer = (Uint8 *) SDL_malloc(device->work_buffer_len);
+    if (device->work_buffer == NULL) {
         close_audio_device(device);
         SDL_OutOfMemory();
         return 0;
diff --git a/src/audio/SDL_sysaudio.h b/src/audio/SDL_sysaudio.h
index e62aecf68..ca93eb28d 100644
--- a/src/audio/SDL_sysaudio.h
+++ b/src/audio/SDL_sysaudio.h
@@ -146,11 +146,11 @@ struct SDL_AudioDevice
     SDL_atomic_t paused;
     SDL_bool iscapture;
 
-    /* Fake audio buffer for when the audio hardware is busy */
-    Uint8 *fake_stream;
+    /* Scratch buffer used in the bridge between SDL and the user callback. */
+    Uint8 *work_buffer;
 
-    /* Size, in bytes, of fake_stream. */
-    Uint32 fake_stream_len;
+    /* Size, in bytes, of work_buffer. */
+    Uint32 work_buffer_len;
 
     /* A mutex for locking the mixing buffers */
     SDL_mutex *mixer_lock;
diff --git a/src/audio/emscripten/SDL_emscriptenaudio.c b/src/audio/emscripten/SDL_emscriptenaudio.c
index f920de8d4..8d09c3f88 100644
--- a/src/audio/emscripten/SDL_emscriptenaudio.c
+++ b/src/audio/emscripten/SDL_emscriptenaudio.c
@@ -65,26 +65,26 @@ HandleAudioProcess(_THIS)
 
     if (this->stream == NULL) {  /* no conversion necessary. */
         SDL_assert(this->spec.size == stream_len);
-        callback(this->spec.userdata, this->fake_stream, stream_len);
+        callback(this->spec.userdata, this->work_buffer, stream_len);
     } else {  /* streaming/converting */
         int got;
         while (SDL_AudioStreamAvailable(this->stream) < ((int) this->spec.size)) {
-            callback(this->spec.userdata, this->fake_stream, stream_len);
-            if (SDL_AudioStreamPut(this->stream, this->fake_stream, stream_len) == -1) {
+            callback(this->spec.userdata, this->work_buffer, stream_len);
+            if (SDL_AudioStreamPut(this->stream, this->work_buffer, stream_len) == -1) {
                 SDL_AudioStreamClear(this->stream);
                 SDL_AtomicSet(&this->enabled, 0);
                 break;
             }
         }
 
-        got = SDL_AudioStreamGet(this->stream, this->fake_stream, this->spec.size);
+        got = SDL_AudioStreamGet(this->stream, this->work_buffer, this->spec.size);
         SDL_assert((got < 0) || (got == this->spec.size));
         if (got != this->spec.size) {
-            SDL_memset(this->fake_stream, this->spec.silence, this->spec.size);
+            SDL_memset(this->work_buffer, this->spec.silence, this->spec.size);
         }
     }
 
-    FeedAudioDevice(this, this->fake_stream, this->spec.size);
+    FeedAudioDevice(this, this->work_buffer, this->spec.size);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -117,25 +117,25 @@ HandleCaptureProcess(_THIS)
                 }
             }
         }
-    }, this->fake_stream, (this->spec.size / sizeof (float)) / this->spec.channels);
+    }, this->work_buffer, (this->spec.size / sizeof (float)) / this->spec.channels);
 
     /* okay, we've got an interleaved float32 array in C now. */
 
     if (this->stream == NULL) {  /* no conversion necessary. */
         SDL_assert(this->spec.size == stream_len);
-        callback(this->spec.userdata, this->fake_stream, stream_len);
+        callback(this->spec.userdata, this->work_buffer, stream_len);
     } else {  /* streaming/converting */
-        if (SDL_AudioStreamPut(this->stream, this->fake_stream, this->spec.size) == -1) {
+        if (SDL_AudioStreamPut(this->stream, this->work_buffer, this->spec.size) == -1) {
             SDL_AtomicSet(&this->enabled, 0);
         }
 
         while (SDL_AudioStreamAvailable(this->stream) >= stream_len) {
-            const int got = SDL_AudioStreamGet(this->stream, this->fake_stream, stream_len);
+            const int got = SDL_AudioStreamGet(this->stream, this->work_buffer, stream_len);
             SDL_assert((got < 0) || (got == stream_len));
             if (got != stream_len) {
-                SDL_memset(this->fake_stream, this->callbackspec.silence, stream_len);
+                SDL_memset(this->work_buffer, this->callbackspec.silence, stream_len);
             }
-            callback(this->spec.userdata, this->fake_stream, stream_len);  /* Send it to the app. */
+            callback(this->spec.userdata, this->work_buffer, stream_len);  /* Send it to the app. */
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/audio/haiku/SDL_haikuaudio.cc b/src/audio/haiku/SDL_haikuaudio.cc
index 01d1c4cae..b8a7d1a82 100644
--- a/src/audio/haiku/SDL_haikuaudio.cc
+++ b/src/audio/haiku/SDL_haikuaudio.cc
@@ -69,8 +69,8 @@ FillSound(void *device, void *stream, size_t len,
         const int stream_len = audio->callbackspec.size;
         const int ilen = (int) len;
         while (SDL_AudioStreamAvailable(audio->stream) < ilen) {
-            callback(audio->spec.userdata, audio->fake_stream, stream_len);
-            if (SDL_AudioStreamPut(audio->stream, audio->fake_stream, stream_len) == -1) {
+            callback(audio->spec.userdata, audio->work_buffer, stream_len);
+            if (SDL_AudioStreamPut(audio->stream, audio->work_buffer, stream_len) == -1) {
                 SDL_AudioStreamClear(audio->stream);
                 SDL_AtomicSet(&audio->enabled, 0);
                 break;
diff --git a/src/audio/nacl/SDL_naclaudio.c b/src/audio/nacl/SDL_naclaudio.c
index 31aba7e47..5b3b429f4 100644
--- a/src/audio/nacl/SDL_naclaudio.c
+++ b/src/audio/nacl/SDL_naclaudio.c
@@ -70,8 +70,8 @@ static void nacl_audio_callback(void* stream, uint32_t buffer_size, PP_TimeDelta
     } else {  /* streaming/converting */
         const int stream_len = _this->callbackspec.size;
         while (SDL_AudioStreamAvailable(_this->stream) < len) {
-            callback(_this->spec.userdata, _this->fake_stream, stream_len);
-            if (SDL_AudioStreamPut(_this->stream, _this->fake_stream, stream_len) == -1) {
+            callback(_this->spec.userdata, _this->work_buffer, stream_len);
+            if (SDL_AudioStreamPut(_this->stream, _this->work_buffer, stream_len) == -1) {
                 SDL_AudioStreamClear(_this->stream);
                 SDL_AtomicSet(&_this->enabled, 0);
                 break;