diff --git a/doc/src/manual/variables.md b/doc/src/manual/variables.md
index 608ade7c33312..c6c965985100d 100644
--- a/doc/src/manual/variables.md
+++ b/doc/src/manual/variables.md
@@ -111,9 +111,8 @@ variable name. For example, if `+ᵃ` is an operator, then `+ᵃx` must be writt
 it from `+ ᵃx` where `ᵃx` is the variable name.
 
 
-A particular class of variable names is one that contains only underscores. These identifiers can only be assigned values but cannot be used to assign values to other variables.
-More technically, they can only be used as an [L-value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_(computer_science)#lrvalue), but not as an
- [R-value](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-value):
+A particular class of variable names is one that contains only underscores. These identifiers can only be assigned values, which are immediately discarded, and cannot therefore be used to assign values to other variables (i.e., they cannot be used as [`rvalues`](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_(computer_science)#Assignment:_l-values_and_r-values)) or use the last value
+assigned to them in any way.
 
 ```julia-repl
 julia> x, ___ = size([2 2; 1 1])
@@ -121,6 +120,9 @@ julia> x, ___ = size([2 2; 1 1])
 
 julia> y = ___
 ERROR: syntax: all-underscore identifier used as rvalue
+
+julia> println(___)
+ERROR: syntax: all-underscore identifier used as rvalue
 ```
 
 The only explicitly disallowed names for variables are the names of the built-in [Keywords](@ref Keywords):