Crossword Genius

Pretty well heading north and in good time (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nearly

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'pretty well' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adverbs.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'heading north and in good time' is the wordplay.
'heading north' becomes 'n' (abbreviation).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'in good time' becomes 'early' (being early is arriving in good time).
'n'+'early'='NEARLY'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nearly that I've seen before include "parsimoniously" , "Almost, not quite" , "Noon at eleven fifty nine am" , "pretty much" , "approximately" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app