diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py b/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
@@ -356,16 +356,16 @@
     """Interface to bitcoin-cli for an individual node"""
 
     def __init__(self, binary, datadir):
-        self.args = []
+        self.options = []
         self.binary = binary
         self.datadir = datadir
         self.input = None
         self.log = logging.getLogger('TestFramework.bitcoincli')
 
-    def __call__(self, *args, input=None):
-        # TestNodeCLI is callable with bitcoin-cli command-line args
+    def __call__(self, *options, input=None):
+        # TestNodeCLI is callable with bitcoin-cli command-line options
         cli = TestNodeCLI(self.binary, self.datadir)
-        cli.args = [str(arg) for arg in args]
+        cli.options = [str(o) for o in options]
         cli.input = input
         return cli
 
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@
         assert not (
             pos_args and named_args), "Cannot use positional arguments and named arguments in the same bitcoin-cli call"
 
-        p_args = [self.binary, "-datadir=" + self.datadir] + self.args
+        p_args = [self.binary, "-datadir=" + self.datadir] + self.options
         if named_args:
             p_args += ["-named"]
         p_args += [command] + pos_args + named_args