Meaning of " SUBTELY" in this phrase , help !?

Question

I dont know what are you talking about , mama was quite cool , "SUBTELY" underplaying him ....

I already know the meaning cuz I looked 4 it in the dictionary . but I just cant figure it out in this phrase , I'm learning english . so it's kind of hard . HELP pls !!!
is there any other words I can use instead of SUBTELY in this phrase, if not , could you explain me what it means plss!!! THANK YOU !

Answer 1

I can't figure the exact meaning without more context, as it is not clear what kind of "underplaying" is going on. But, from the definition of underplay, we see that subtlety is already implied by most of it's meanings.

Therefore the word has no meaning of it's own in the sentence, but is merely giving emphasis to this aspect of underplay.

Subtlety often means that we make criticisms, insult, threaten or gain an advantage over someone, without explicitly saying it, and not giving any emphasis to it. For instance, when extorting money, we should never ask for it, but only subtely suggest that person should make the offer.

Answer 2

almost unnoticeably, skillfully, cleverly...