diff --git a/std/src/fs.rs b/std/src/fs.rs
index 98aa40db3..e1ab06b0d 100644
--- a/std/src/fs.rs
+++ b/std/src/fs.rs
@@ -703,7 +703,7 @@ impl Read for File {
         self.inner.read_vectored(bufs)
     }
 
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         self.inner.read_buf(cursor)
     }
 
@@ -755,7 +755,7 @@ impl Read for &File {
         self.inner.read(buf)
     }
 
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         self.inner.read_buf(cursor)
     }
 
diff --git a/std/src/io/buffered/bufreader.rs b/std/src/io/buffered/bufreader.rs
index dced922ea..88ad92d8a 100644
--- a/std/src/io/buffered/bufreader.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/buffered/bufreader.rs
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ impl<R: Read> Read for BufReader<R> {
         Ok(nread)
     }
 
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         // If we don't have any buffered data and we're doing a massive read
         // (larger than our internal buffer), bypass our internal buffer
         // entirely.
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ impl<R: Read> Read for BufReader<R> {
         let prev = cursor.written();
 
         let mut rem = self.fill_buf()?;
-        rem.read_buf(cursor.clone())?;
+        rem.read_buf(cursor.reborrow())?;
 
         self.consume(cursor.written() - prev); //slice impl of read_buf known to never unfill buf
 
diff --git a/std/src/io/buffered/bufreader/buffer.rs b/std/src/io/buffered/bufreader/buffer.rs
index b122a6c0c..867c22c60 100644
--- a/std/src/io/buffered/bufreader/buffer.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/buffered/bufreader/buffer.rs
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ impl Buffer {
         if self.pos >= self.filled {
             debug_assert!(self.pos == self.filled);
 
-            let mut buf: BorrowedBuf<'_> = (&mut *self.buf).into();
+            let mut buf = BorrowedBuf::from(&mut *self.buf);
             // SAFETY: `self.filled` bytes will always have been initialized.
             unsafe {
                 buf.set_init(self.filled);
diff --git a/std/src/io/copy.rs b/std/src/io/copy.rs
index 1efd98b92..38b98afff 100644
--- a/std/src/io/copy.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/copy.rs
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ impl<I: Write> BufferedCopySpec for BufWriter<I> {
 
             if read_buf.capacity() >= DEFAULT_BUF_SIZE {
                 let mut cursor = read_buf.unfilled();
-                match reader.read_buf(cursor.clone()) {
+                match reader.read_buf(cursor.reborrow()) {
                     Ok(()) => {
                         let bytes_read = cursor.written();
 
diff --git a/std/src/io/cursor.rs b/std/src/io/cursor.rs
index e00577b51..d98ab021c 100644
--- a/std/src/io/cursor.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/cursor.rs
@@ -323,10 +323,10 @@ where
         Ok(n)
     }
 
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         let prev_written = cursor.written();
 
-        Read::read_buf(&mut self.fill_buf()?, cursor.clone())?;
+        Read::read_buf(&mut self.fill_buf()?, cursor.reborrow())?;
 
         self.pos += (cursor.written() - prev_written) as u64;
 
diff --git a/std/src/io/impls.rs b/std/src/io/impls.rs
index 183c8c660..e5048dcc8 100644
--- a/std/src/io/impls.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/impls.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ impl<R: Read + ?Sized> Read for &mut R {
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         (**self).read_buf(cursor)
     }
 
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ impl<R: Read + ?Sized> Read for Box<R> {
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         (**self).read_buf(cursor)
     }
 
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ impl Read for &[u8] {
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         let amt = cmp::min(cursor.capacity(), self.len());
         let (a, b) = self.split_at(amt);
 
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ impl<A: Allocator> Read for VecDeque<u8, A> {
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         let (ref mut front, _) = self.as_slices();
         let n = cmp::min(cursor.capacity(), front.len());
         Read::read_buf(front, cursor)?;
diff --git a/std/src/io/mod.rs b/std/src/io/mod.rs
index 02f82a7e9..8b8ec32bf 100644
--- a/std/src/io/mod.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/mod.rs
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ pub(crate) fn default_read_to_end<R: Read + ?Sized>(r: &mut R, buf: &mut Vec<u8>
         }
 
         let mut cursor = read_buf.unfilled();
-        match r.read_buf(cursor.clone()) {
+        match r.read_buf(cursor.reborrow()) {
             Ok(()) => {}
             Err(e) if e.kind() == ErrorKind::Interrupted => continue,
             Err(e) => return Err(e),
@@ -462,7 +462,7 @@ pub(crate) fn default_read_exact<R: Read + ?Sized>(this: &mut R, mut buf: &mut [
     }
 }
 
-pub(crate) fn default_read_buf<F>(read: F, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> Result<()>
+pub(crate) fn default_read_buf<F>(read: F, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> Result<()>
 where
     F: FnOnce(&mut [u8]) -> Result<usize>,
 {
@@ -812,7 +812,7 @@ pub trait Read {
     ///
     /// The default implementation delegates to `read`.
     #[unstable(feature = "read_buf", issue = "78485")]
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, buf: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, buf: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> Result<()> {
         default_read_buf(|b| self.read(b), buf)
     }
 
@@ -821,10 +821,10 @@ pub trait Read {
     /// This is equivalent to the [`read_exact`](Read::read_exact) method, except that it is passed a [`BorrowedCursor`] rather than `[u8]` to
     /// allow use with uninitialized buffers.
     #[unstable(feature = "read_buf", issue = "78485")]
-    fn read_buf_exact(&mut self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf_exact(&mut self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> Result<()> {
         while cursor.capacity() > 0 {
             let prev_written = cursor.written();
-            match self.read_buf(cursor.clone()) {
+            match self.read_buf(cursor.reborrow()) {
                 Ok(()) => {}
                 Err(e) if e.kind() == ErrorKind::Interrupted => continue,
                 Err(e) => return Err(e),
@@ -2586,7 +2586,7 @@ impl<T: Read> Read for Take<T> {
         Ok(n)
     }
 
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut buf: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut buf: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> Result<()> {
         // Don't call into inner reader at all at EOF because it may still block
         if self.limit == 0 {
             return Ok(());
@@ -2609,7 +2609,7 @@ impl<T: Read> Read for Take<T> {
             }
 
             let mut cursor = sliced_buf.unfilled();
-            self.inner.read_buf(cursor.clone())?;
+            self.inner.read_buf(cursor.reborrow())?;
 
             let new_init = cursor.init_ref().len();
             let filled = sliced_buf.len();
@@ -2626,7 +2626,7 @@ impl<T: Read> Read for Take<T> {
             self.limit -= filled as u64;
         } else {
             let written = buf.written();
-            self.inner.read_buf(buf.clone())?;
+            self.inner.read_buf(buf.reborrow())?;
             self.limit -= (buf.written() - written) as u64;
         }
 
diff --git a/std/src/io/readbuf.rs b/std/src/io/readbuf.rs
index ae3fbcc6a..b1a84095f 100644
--- a/std/src/io/readbuf.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/readbuf.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ mod tests;
 use crate::cmp;
 use crate::fmt::{self, Debug, Formatter};
 use crate::io::{Result, Write};
-use crate::mem::MaybeUninit;
+use crate::mem::{self, MaybeUninit};
 
 /// A borrowed byte buffer which is incrementally filled and initialized.
 ///
@@ -23,9 +23,9 @@ use crate::mem::MaybeUninit;
 /// ```
 ///
 /// A `BorrowedBuf` is created around some existing data (or capacity for data) via a unique reference
-/// (`&mut`). The `BorrowedBuf` can be configured (e.g., using `clear` or `set_init`), but otherwise
-/// is read-only. To write into the buffer, use `unfilled` to create a `BorrowedCursor`. The cursor
-/// has write-only access to the unfilled portion of the buffer (you can think of it like a
+/// (`&mut`). The `BorrowedBuf` can be configured (e.g., using `clear` or `set_init`), but cannot be
+/// directly written. To write into the buffer, use `unfilled` to create a `BorrowedCursor`. The cursor
+/// has write-only access to the unfilled portion of the buffer (you can think of it as a
 /// write-only iterator).
 ///
 /// The lifetime `'data` is a bound on the lifetime of the underlying data.
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ impl<'data> From<&'data mut [u8]> for BorrowedBuf<'data> {
         let len = slice.len();
 
         BorrowedBuf {
-            //SAFETY: initialized data never becoming uninitialized is an invariant of BorrowedBuf
+            // SAFETY: initialized data never becoming uninitialized is an invariant of BorrowedBuf
             buf: unsafe { (slice as *mut [u8]).as_uninit_slice_mut().unwrap() },
             filled: 0,
             init: len,
@@ -95,14 +95,21 @@ impl<'data> BorrowedBuf<'data> {
     /// Returns a shared reference to the filled portion of the buffer.
     #[inline]
     pub fn filled(&self) -> &[u8] {
-        //SAFETY: We only slice the filled part of the buffer, which is always valid
+        // SAFETY: We only slice the filled part of the buffer, which is always valid
         unsafe { MaybeUninit::slice_assume_init_ref(&self.buf[0..self.filled]) }
     }
 
     /// Returns a cursor over the unfilled part of the buffer.
     #[inline]
-    pub fn unfilled<'this>(&'this mut self) -> BorrowedCursor<'this, 'data> {
-        BorrowedCursor { start: self.filled, buf: self }
+    pub fn unfilled<'this>(&'this mut self) -> BorrowedCursor<'this> {
+        BorrowedCursor {
+            start: self.filled,
+            // SAFETY: we never assign into `BorrowedCursor::buf`, so treating its
+            // lifetime covariantly is safe.
+            buf: unsafe {
+                mem::transmute::<&'this mut BorrowedBuf<'data>, &'this mut BorrowedBuf<'this>>(self)
+            },
+        }
     }
 
     /// Clears the buffer, resetting the filled region to empty.
@@ -141,25 +148,37 @@ impl<'data> BorrowedBuf<'data> {
 /// `BorrowedBuf` and can no longer be accessed or re-written by the cursor. I.e., the cursor tracks
 /// the unfilled part of the underlying `BorrowedBuf`.
 ///
-/// The `'buf` lifetime is a bound on the lifetime of the underlying buffer. `'data` is a bound on
-/// that buffer's underlying data.
+/// The lifetime `'a` is a bound on the lifetime of the underlying buffer (which means it is a bound
+/// on the data in that buffer by transitivity).
 #[derive(Debug)]
-pub struct BorrowedCursor<'buf, 'data> {
+pub struct BorrowedCursor<'a> {
     /// The underlying buffer.
-    buf: &'buf mut BorrowedBuf<'data>,
+    // Safety invariant: we treat the type of buf as covariant in the lifetime of `BorrowedBuf` when
+    // we create a `BorrowedCursor`. This is only safe if we never replace `buf` by assigning into
+    // it, so don't do that!
+    buf: &'a mut BorrowedBuf<'a>,
     /// The length of the filled portion of the underlying buffer at the time of the cursor's
     /// creation.
     start: usize,
 }
 
-impl<'buf, 'data> BorrowedCursor<'buf, 'data> {
-    /// Clone this cursor.
+impl<'a> BorrowedCursor<'a> {
+    /// Reborrow this cursor by cloning it with a smaller lifetime.
     ///
-    /// Since a cursor maintains unique access to its underlying buffer, the cloned cursor is not
-    /// accessible while the clone is alive.
+    /// Since a cursor maintains unique access to its underlying buffer, the borrowed cursor is
+    /// not accessible while the new cursor exists.
     #[inline]
-    pub fn clone<'this>(&'this mut self) -> BorrowedCursor<'this, 'data> {
-        BorrowedCursor { buf: self.buf, start: self.start }
+    pub fn reborrow<'this>(&'this mut self) -> BorrowedCursor<'this> {
+        BorrowedCursor {
+            // SAFETY: we never assign into `BorrowedCursor::buf`, so treating its
+            // lifetime covariantly is safe.
+            buf: unsafe {
+                mem::transmute::<&'this mut BorrowedBuf<'a>, &'this mut BorrowedBuf<'this>>(
+                    self.buf,
+                )
+            },
+            start: self.start,
+        }
     }
 
     /// Returns the available space in the cursor.
@@ -170,8 +189,8 @@ impl<'buf, 'data> BorrowedCursor<'buf, 'data> {
 
     /// Returns the number of bytes written to this cursor since it was created from a `BorrowedBuf`.
     ///
-    /// Note that if this cursor is a clone of another, then the count returned is the count written
-    /// via either cursor, not the count since the cursor was cloned.
+    /// Note that if this cursor is a reborrowed clone of another, then the count returned is the
+    /// count written via either cursor, not the count since the cursor was reborrowed.
     #[inline]
     pub fn written(&self) -> usize {
         self.buf.filled - self.start
@@ -180,14 +199,14 @@ impl<'buf, 'data> BorrowedCursor<'buf, 'data> {
     /// Returns a shared reference to the initialized portion of the cursor.
     #[inline]
     pub fn init_ref(&self) -> &[u8] {
-        //SAFETY: We only slice the initialized part of the buffer, which is always valid
+        // SAFETY: We only slice the initialized part of the buffer, which is always valid
         unsafe { MaybeUninit::slice_assume_init_ref(&self.buf.buf[self.buf.filled..self.buf.init]) }
     }
 
     /// Returns a mutable reference to the initialized portion of the cursor.
     #[inline]
     pub fn init_mut(&mut self) -> &mut [u8] {
-        //SAFETY: We only slice the initialized part of the buffer, which is always valid
+        // SAFETY: We only slice the initialized part of the buffer, which is always valid
         unsafe {
             MaybeUninit::slice_assume_init_mut(&mut self.buf.buf[self.buf.filled..self.buf.init])
         }
@@ -275,7 +294,7 @@ impl<'buf, 'data> BorrowedCursor<'buf, 'data> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<'buf, 'data> Write for BorrowedCursor<'buf, 'data> {
+impl<'a> Write for BorrowedCursor<'a> {
     fn write(&mut self, buf: &[u8]) -> Result<usize> {
         self.append(buf);
         Ok(buf.len())
diff --git a/std/src/io/readbuf/tests.rs b/std/src/io/readbuf/tests.rs
index 8037a9579..cc1b423f2 100644
--- a/std/src/io/readbuf/tests.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/readbuf/tests.rs
@@ -117,14 +117,14 @@ fn append() {
 }
 
 #[test]
-fn clone_written() {
+fn reborrow_written() {
     let buf: &mut [_] = &mut [MaybeUninit::new(0); 32];
     let mut buf: BorrowedBuf<'_> = buf.into();
 
     let mut cursor = buf.unfilled();
     cursor.append(&[1; 16]);
 
-    let mut cursor2 = cursor.clone();
+    let mut cursor2 = cursor.reborrow();
     cursor2.append(&[2; 16]);
 
     assert_eq!(cursor2.written(), 32);
diff --git a/std/src/io/util.rs b/std/src/io/util.rs
index 7475d7111..f076ee092 100644
--- a/std/src/io/util.rs
+++ b/std/src/io/util.rs
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ impl Read for Empty {
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, _cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, _cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         Ok(())
     }
 }
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ impl Read for Repeat {
         Ok(buf.len())
     }
 
-    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut buf: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    fn read_buf(&mut self, mut buf: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         // SAFETY: No uninit bytes are being written
         for slot in unsafe { buf.as_mut() } {
             slot.write(self.byte);
diff --git a/std/src/sys/hermit/fs.rs b/std/src/sys/hermit/fs.rs
index 51321c519..1c5efa94b 100644
--- a/std/src/sys/hermit/fs.rs
+++ b/std/src/sys/hermit/fs.rs
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ impl File {
         false
     }
 
-    pub fn read_buf(&self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn read_buf(&self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         crate::io::default_read_buf(|buf| self.read(buf), cursor)
     }
 
diff --git a/std/src/sys/solid/fs.rs b/std/src/sys/solid/fs.rs
index 0848d3d8f..8e23a7c7d 100644
--- a/std/src/sys/solid/fs.rs
+++ b/std/src/sys/solid/fs.rs
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ impl File {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn read_buf(&self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn read_buf(&self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         unsafe {
             let len = cursor.capacity();
             let mut out_num_bytes = MaybeUninit::uninit();
diff --git a/std/src/sys/unix/fd.rs b/std/src/sys/unix/fd.rs
index 76a269bb9..dbaa3c33e 100644
--- a/std/src/sys/unix/fd.rs
+++ b/std/src/sys/unix/fd.rs
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ impl FileDesc {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn read_buf(&self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn read_buf(&self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         let ret = cvt(unsafe {
             libc::read(
                 self.as_raw_fd(),
diff --git a/std/src/sys/unix/fs.rs b/std/src/sys/unix/fs.rs
index 505613454..b8fc2e8da 100644
--- a/std/src/sys/unix/fs.rs
+++ b/std/src/sys/unix/fs.rs
@@ -1031,7 +1031,7 @@ impl File {
         self.0.read_at(buf, offset)
     }
 
-    pub fn read_buf(&self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn read_buf(&self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         self.0.read_buf(cursor)
     }
 
diff --git a/std/src/sys/unsupported/fs.rs b/std/src/sys/unsupported/fs.rs
index 41e39ce27..6ac1b5d2b 100644
--- a/std/src/sys/unsupported/fs.rs
+++ b/std/src/sys/unsupported/fs.rs
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ impl File {
         self.0
     }
 
-    pub fn read_buf(&self, _cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn read_buf(&self, _cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         self.0
     }
 
diff --git a/std/src/sys/wasi/fs.rs b/std/src/sys/wasi/fs.rs
index b5b5eab1a..510cf36b1 100644
--- a/std/src/sys/wasi/fs.rs
+++ b/std/src/sys/wasi/fs.rs
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ impl File {
         true
     }
 
-    pub fn read_buf(&self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn read_buf(&self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         crate::io::default_read_buf(|buf| self.read(buf), cursor)
     }
 
diff --git a/std/src/sys/windows/fs.rs b/std/src/sys/windows/fs.rs
index bfc2477df..9ac7cfebb 100644
--- a/std/src/sys/windows/fs.rs
+++ b/std/src/sys/windows/fs.rs
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ impl File {
         self.handle.read_at(buf, offset)
     }
 
-    pub fn read_buf(&self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn read_buf(&self, cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         self.handle.read_buf(cursor)
     }
 
diff --git a/std/src/sys/windows/handle.rs b/std/src/sys/windows/handle.rs
index 0ea6876af..ae33d48c6 100644
--- a/std/src/sys/windows/handle.rs
+++ b/std/src/sys/windows/handle.rs
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ impl Handle {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn read_buf(&self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_, '_>) -> io::Result<()> {
+    pub fn read_buf(&self, mut cursor: BorrowedCursor<'_>) -> io::Result<()> {
         let res =
             unsafe { self.synchronous_read(cursor.as_mut().as_mut_ptr(), cursor.capacity(), None) };