1 (carefully, tidily) [+arrange, put, fold] con cuidado; cuidadosamente; con esmero; [+write, type] claramente On it, several lines of verse were neatly typed The girl had all her fingernails neatly trimmed all the envelopes had been neatly stamped she put it neatly in the drawer
she is always very neatly dressed siempre va muy arreglada; a neatly kept garden un jardín bien cuidado
2 (cleverly) [+summarize, explain] con claridad; bien; [+avoid] ingeniosamente; con habilidad The domestic background of Jessie's dislike is neatly summarised in the book his views are neatly summarised in the article he avoided the question very neatly
as you so neatly put it como tú muy bien dijiste; it was very neatly put estaba muy bien expresado
3 (conveniently) [+fit] perfectamente The theories and measurements fitted together neatly
[+divide] claramente; fácilmente But history does not divide so neatly people cannot be neatly divided into persecutors and victims
they do not fit neatly into categories no se los puede encasillar tan fácilmente; everything worked out very neatly todo se resolvió muy bien