Meaning of "precise-looking"

In George Orwell's novel 1984, Part one, Chapter IV, there is a sentence:

In the corresponding cubicle on the other side a small, precise-looking, dark-chinned man named Tillotson was working steadily away.

I've looked up 'precise' in dictionaries, but still cannot understand what a precise-looking man is like. Can you guys help?


Solution 1:

He is "precise-looking" in the sense that he has been precise in every step of how he presents himself -- his hair, his skin, his clothes. You won't find lazily-brushed hair on him.

Just imagine a person like that sitting with short, thoroughly brushed hair, in a nice dress shirt tucked in with a belt and loafers, sitting with a half-frown on their face as they faithfully do their work. That's the kind of image that Orwell is conjuring up.

Solution 2:

I don't know that there is a formal definition for precise-looking, but in a character development it may mean precise-acting or fastidious as much as the way he looks. I would consider him a bit fastidious, well groomed, with conservative features and dress. In this case, I think each reader might have a unique picture of the man.