diff --git flag.module flag.module
index dfad790..0a46b51 100644
--- flag.module
+++ flag.module
@@ -1167,7 +1167,7 @@ function template_preprocess_flag(&$variables) {
   $variables['link_href'] = isset($link['href']) ? check_url(url($link['href'], $link)) : FALSE;
   $variables['link_text'] = isset($link['title']) ? $link['title'] : $flag->get_label($action . '_short', $content_id);
   $variables['link_title'] = isset($link['attributes']['title']) ? check_plain($link['attributes']['title']) : check_plain(strip_tags($flag->get_label($action . '_long', $content_id)));
-  $variables['last_action'] = ($action == 'flag' ? 'unflagged' : 'flagged');
+  $variables['status'] = ($action == 'flag' ? 'unflagged' : 'flagged');
 
   $variables['flag_wrapper_classes_array'] = array();
   $variables['flag_wrapper_classes_array'][] = 'flag-wrapper';
@@ -1185,7 +1185,7 @@ function template_preprocess_flag(&$variables) {
   if ($variables['after_flagging']) {
     $inverse_action = ($action == 'flag' ? 'unflag' : 'flag');
     $variables['message_text'] = $flag->get_label($inverse_action . '_message', $content_id);
-    $variables['flag_classes_array'][] = $variables['last_action'];
+    $variables['flag_classes_array'][] = $variables['status'];
   }
   $variables['flag_classes'] = implode(' ', $variables['flag_classes_array']);
 
@@ -1193,6 +1193,7 @@ function template_preprocess_flag(&$variables) {
   // variables either to make old flag.tpl.php files continue to work, or to
   // prevent PHP from generating E_NOTICEs there. @todo: Remove these sometime.
   $variables['setup'] = FALSE;
+  $variables['last_action'] = $variables['status'];
 }
 
 /**
diff --git theme/flag.tpl.php theme/flag.tpl.php
index b6f5c44..4db4c04 100644
--- theme/flag.tpl.php
+++ theme/flag.tpl.php
@@ -15,8 +15,7 @@
  * - $flag_classes: A space-separated list of CSS classes that should be applied to the link.
  *
  * - $action: The action the link is about to carry out, either "flag" or "unflag".
- * - $last_action: The action, as a passive English verb, either "flagged" or
- *   "unflagged", that led to the current status of the flag.
+ * - $status: The status of the item; either "flagged" or "unflagged".
  *
  * - $link_href: The URL for the flag link.
  * - $link_text: The text to show for the link.
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
     <span class="<?php print $flag_classes ?>"><?php print $link_text; ?></span>
   <?php endif; ?>
   <?php if ($after_flagging): ?>
-    <span class="flag-message flag-<?php print $last_action; ?>-message">
+    <span class="flag-message flag-<?php print $status; ?>-message">
       <?php print $message_text; ?>
     </span>
   <?php endif; ?>