For years I've been telling people why I love the word "sincere" so much. As the story goes, in medieval Europe, a potter or sculptor would use wax to cover over any flaws in the vessel or sculpture once it was dry. Being a language freak, I was fascinated to learn that "sincere" meant "without wax" -- "sin" ("without" in Spanish) "cera" ("wax"; "cire" in French). Being truly sincere is being "without wax", with no attempt to cover one's flaws. What you see is who I am.