Crossword Genius

Spare room? Not exactly (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

space

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

'spare room?' is the definition.
'space' can be an answer for 'room?' (room is a kind of space). I'm not certain of the 'spare' bit.

'not exactly' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'not exactly' could be 'c' (short for 'circa') and 'c' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'spae' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for space that I've seen before include "sci-fi theme" , "Free area" , "Blank" , "Empty area, may be outer" , "Room for capes" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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