diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/inl.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/inl.go
index fd8e9cfd46..42125f38f3 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/inl.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/inl.go
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ func inlconv2stmt(inlcall ir.Node) ir.Node {
 // 	n.Left = inlconv2expr(n.Left)
 func inlconv2expr(n ir.Node) ir.Node {
 	r := n.Rlist().First()
-	return addinit(r, append(n.Init().Slice(), n.Body().Slice()...))
+	return initExpr(append(n.Init().Slice(), n.Body().Slice()...), r)
 }
 
 // Turn the rlist (with the return values) of the OINLCALL in
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ func inlconv2list(n ir.Node) []ir.Node {
 	}
 
 	s := n.Rlist().Slice()
-	s[0] = addinit(s[0], append(n.Init().Slice(), n.Body().Slice()...))
+	s[0] = initExpr(append(n.Init().Slice(), n.Body().Slice()...), s[0])
 	return s
 }
 
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/order.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/order.go
index 7816e684dc..e4175bbf36 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/order.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/order.go
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ func (o *Order) exprInPlace(n ir.Node) ir.Node {
 	var order Order
 	order.free = o.free
 	n = order.expr(n, nil)
-	n = addinit(n, order.out)
+	n = initExpr(order.out, n)
 
 	// insert new temporaries from order
 	// at head of outer list.
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/subr.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/subr.go
index 011a7ac5bc..970f78b355 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/subr.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/subr.go
@@ -1355,9 +1355,9 @@ func ngotype(n ir.Node) *types.Sym {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// The result of addinit MUST be assigned back to n, e.g.
-// 	n.Left = addinit(n.Left, init)
-func addinit(n ir.Node, init []ir.Node) ir.Node {
+// The result of initExpr MUST be assigned back to n, e.g.
+// 	n.Left = initExpr(init, n.Left)
+func initExpr(init []ir.Node, n ir.Node) ir.Node {
 	if len(init) == 0 {
 		return n
 	}
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
index 5a073ac324..55443ba596 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/typecheck.go
@@ -1314,7 +1314,7 @@ func typecheck1(n ir.Node, top int) (res ir.Node) {
 				}
 				old := n
 				n = ir.NodAt(n.Pos(), l.SubOp(), arg, nil)
-				n = addinit(n, old.Init().Slice()) // typecheckargs can add to old.Init
+				n = initExpr(old.Init().Slice(), n) // typecheckargs can add to old.Init
 
 			case ir.OCOMPLEX, ir.OCOPY:
 				typecheckargs(n)
@@ -1325,7 +1325,7 @@ func typecheck1(n ir.Node, top int) (res ir.Node) {
 				}
 				old := n
 				n = ir.NodAt(n.Pos(), l.SubOp(), arg1, arg2)
-				n = addinit(n, old.Init().Slice()) // typecheckargs can add to old.Init
+				n = initExpr(old.Init().Slice(), n) // typecheckargs can add to old.Init
 			}
 			n = typecheck1(n, top)
 			return n
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/walk.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/walk.go
index c0f447f1a2..e72015c05e 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/walk.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/walk.go
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ func walkstmt(n ir.Node) ir.Node {
 		n = mkcall1(chanfn("chanrecv1", 2, n.Left().Type()), nil, &init, n.Left(), nodnil())
 		n = walkexpr(n, &init)
 
-		n = addinit(n, init.Slice())
+		n = initExpr(init.Slice(), n)
 
 	case ir.OBREAK,
 		ir.OCONTINUE,
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ func walkstmt(n ir.Node) ir.Node {
 			init := n.Left().Init()
 			n.Left().PtrInit().Set(nil)
 			n.SetLeft(walkexpr(n.Left(), &init))
-			n.SetLeft(addinit(n.Left(), init.Slice()))
+			n.SetLeft(initExpr(init.Slice(), n.Left()))
 		}
 
 		n.SetRight(walkstmt(n.Right()))
@@ -557,7 +557,7 @@ opswitch:
 		var ll ir.Nodes
 
 		n.SetRight(walkexpr(n.Right(), &ll))
-		n.SetRight(addinit(n.Right(), ll.Slice()))
+		n.SetRight(initExpr(ll.Slice(), n.Right()))
 
 	case ir.OPRINT, ir.OPRINTN:
 		n = walkprint(n, init)