有一读者问： 据《新英汉词典》说， not exactly 意谓“不完全如此”，如：
(1)— Do you mean to say that he will possibly consent?
— Not exactly.
但这一释义似乎并不适用于下一句中的 not exactly:
(2)That's not exactly what I said.
问应作如何解释？
《新英汉词典》对 not exactly 的解释只适用于对话中，它的确意谓 That's not altogether true （不完全如此，不完全对），再如：
(3)— So you missed the meeting.
— Not exactly . I got there five minutes before it finished.
(4)— Are you tired?
— Not exactly . I just sometimes get kind of keyed-up.
但如果 not exactly 出现在非对话的行文中，它的意思就不是“不完全如此”，而是“不确实是” (not really), 如：
(5)We weren't exactly driving fast. （not exactly 在此可译为“并不确实”）
(6)He is not exactly learned, but he has read widely. （not exactly 在此可译为“未必”）
(7)He was ineffective, not exactly a weakling, but ineffective. （not exactly在此可译为“并非”）
not exactly 有时还可用在幽默文体中，表示“才不（是）”，如：
(8)His father was not exactly poor: he left 10 million pounds.
