Hi, doc, nice to see you posting. I'm looking over my shoulder to see if Helen may be approaching, because I have no doubt that she knows all about whitewash. One characteristic of the actual substance is that it is very thin when dry, and thus wears away very quickly, exposing the not-so-nice-looking surface beneath.

A legless lizard has a noticeably different head and mouth than snakes do--though I wouldn't want to get close enough to one in the wild, to discern that.