diff --git a/hgext/fetch.py b/hgext/fetch.py
--- a/hgext/fetch.py
+++ b/hgext/fetch.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ testedwith = 'internal'
 @command('fetch',
     [('r', 'rev', [],
      _('a specific revision you would like to pull'), _('REV')),
-    ('e', 'edit', None, _('edit commit message')),
+    ('e', 'edit', None, _('invoke editor on commit messages')),
     ('', 'force-editor', None, _('edit commit message (DEPRECATED)')),
     ('', 'switch-parent', None, _('switch parents when merging')),
     ] + commands.commitopts + commands.commitopts2 + commands.remoteopts,
diff --git a/hgext/mq.py b/hgext/mq.py
--- a/hgext/mq.py
+++ b/hgext/mq.py
@@ -2407,7 +2407,7 @@ def setupheaderopts(ui, opts):
         opts['date'] = "%d %d" % util.makedate()
 
 @command("^qnew",
-         [('e', 'edit', None, _('edit commit message')),
+         [('e', 'edit', None, _('invoke editor on commit messages')),
           ('f', 'force', None, _('import uncommitted changes (DEPRECATED)')),
           ('g', 'git', None, _('use git extended diff format')),
           ('U', 'currentuser', None, _('add "From: <current user>" to patch')),
@@ -2453,7 +2453,7 @@ def new(ui, repo, patch, *args, **opts):
     return 0
 
 @command("^qrefresh",
-         [('e', 'edit', None, _('edit commit message')),
+         [('e', 'edit', None, _('invoke editor on commit messages')),
           ('g', 'git', None, _('use git extended diff format')),
           ('s', 'short', None,
            _('refresh only files already in the patch and specified files')),
@@ -2523,7 +2523,7 @@ def diff(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     return 0
 
 @command('qfold',
-         [('e', 'edit', None, _('edit patch header')),
+         [('e', 'edit', None, _('invoke editor on commit messages')),
           ('k', 'keep', None, _('keep folded patch files')),
          ] + commands.commitopts,
          _('hg qfold [-e] [-k] [-m TEXT] [-l FILE] PATCH...'))
diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -1339,8 +1339,7 @@ def clone(ui, source, dest=None, **opts)
      _('mark a branch as closed, hiding it from the branch list')),
     ('', 'amend', None, _('amend the parent of the working dir')),
     ('s', 'secret', None, _('use the secret phase for committing')),
-    ('e', 'edit', None,
-     _('further edit commit message already specified')),
+    ('e', 'edit', None, _('invoke editor on commit messages')),
     ] + walkopts + commitopts + commitopts2 + subrepoopts,
     _('[OPTION]... [FILE]...'),
     inferrepo=True)
@@ -5695,7 +5694,7 @@ def summary(ui, repo, **opts):
     ('r', 'rev', '', _('revision to tag'), _('REV')),
     ('', 'remove', None, _('remove a tag')),
     # -l/--local is already there, commitopts cannot be used
-    ('e', 'edit', None, _('edit commit message')),
+    ('e', 'edit', None, _('invoke editor on commit messages')),
     ('m', 'message', '', _('use text as commit message'), _('TEXT')),
     ] + commitopts2,
     _('[-f] [-l] [-m TEXT] [-d DATE] [-u USER] [-r REV] NAME...'))
diff --git a/tests/test-mq-qrefresh-interactive.t b/tests/test-mq-qrefresh-interactive.t
--- a/tests/test-mq-qrefresh-interactive.t
+++ b/tests/test-mq-qrefresh-interactive.t
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ help qrefresh (no record)
   
   options:
   
-   -e --edit                edit commit message
+   -e --edit                invoke editor on commit messages
    -g --git                 use git extended diff format
    -s --short               refresh only files already in the patch and
                             specified files
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ help qrefresh (record)
   
   options:
   
-   -e --edit                edit commit message
+   -e --edit                invoke editor on commit messages
    -g --git                 use git extended diff format
    -s --short               refresh only files already in the patch and
                             specified files
diff --git a/tests/test-qrecord.t b/tests/test-qrecord.t
--- a/tests/test-qrecord.t
+++ b/tests/test-qrecord.t
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ help record (record)
                             list
       --amend               amend the parent of the working dir
    -s --secret              use the secret phase for committing
-   -e --edit                further edit commit message already specified
+   -e --edit                invoke editor on commit messages
    -I --include PATTERN [+] include names matching the given patterns
    -X --exclude PATTERN [+] exclude names matching the given patterns
    -m --message TEXT        use text as commit message
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ help (mq present)
   
   options:
   
-   -e --edit                edit commit message
+   -e --edit                invoke editor on commit messages
    -g --git                 use git extended diff format
    -U --currentuser         add "From: <current user>" to patch
    -u --user USER           add "From: <USER>" to patch