diff --git a/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/HikariPool.java b/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/HikariPool.java
index 402b7679..8fced640 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/HikariPool.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/HikariPool.java
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ public class HikariPool extends PoolBase implements HikariPoolMXBean, IBagStateL
 
             final long now = clockSource.currentTime();
             if (poolEntry.isMarkedEvicted() || (clockSource.elapsedMillis(poolEntry.lastAccessed, now) > ALIVE_BYPASS_WINDOW_MS && !isConnectionAlive(poolEntry.connection))) {
-               closeConnection(poolEntry, "(connection evicted or dead)"); // Throw away the dead connection and try again
+               closeConnection(poolEntry, "(connection is evicted or dead)"); // Throw away the dead connection and try again
                timeout = hardTimeout - clockSource.elapsedMillis(startTime);
             }
             else {
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ public class HikariPool extends PoolBase implements HikariPoolMXBean, IBagStateL
             poolEntry.setFutureEol(houseKeepingExecutorService.schedule(new Runnable() {
                @Override
                public void run() {
-                  softEvictConnection(poolEntry, "(connection reached maxLifetime)", false /* not owner */);
+                  softEvictConnection(poolEntry, "(connection has passed maxLifetime)", false /* not owner */);
                }
             }, lifetime, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS));
          }
@@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ public class HikariPool extends PoolBase implements HikariPoolMXBean, IBagStateL
                Collections.sort(idleList, LASTACCESS_COMPARABLE);
                for (PoolEntry poolEntry : idleList) {
                   if (clockSource.elapsedMillis(poolEntry.lastAccessed, now) > idleTimeout && connectionBag.reserve(poolEntry)) {
-                     closeConnection(poolEntry, "(connection passed idleTimeout)");
+                     closeConnection(poolEntry, "(connection has passed idleTimeout)");
                      if (--removable == 0) {
                         break; // keep min idle cons
                      };
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/PoolBase.java b/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/PoolBase.java
index 66372c49..5add637a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/PoolBase.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/PoolBase.java
@@ -318,7 +318,8 @@ abstract class PoolBase
       }
       catch (Exception e) {
          lastConnectionFailure.set(e);
-         quietlyCloseConnection(connection, "(exception during connection creation)");
+         String reason = e.getMessage();
+         quietlyCloseConnection(connection, reason != null ? reason : "(exception during connection creation)");
          throw e;
       }
    }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/ProxyConnection.java b/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/ProxyConnection.java
index 6a6d2c4d..ef01bff9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/ProxyConnection.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/zaxxer/hikari/pool/ProxyConnection.java
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ public abstract class ProxyConnection implements Connection
             LOGGER.warn("{} - Connection {} marked as broken because of SQLSTATE({}), ErrorCode({})",
                         poolEntry.getPoolName(), delegate, sqlState, sqle.getErrorCode(), sqle);
             leakTask.cancel();
-            poolEntry.evict("(connection broken)");
+            poolEntry.evict("(connection is broken)");
             delegate = ClosedConnection.CLOSED_CONNECTION;
          }
          else {