The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SLIPPERY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
L
I
P
P
E
R
Y
More clues leading to the result SLIPPERY
- Awkward to walk on, like a light shoe?
- Evasive – like a mule?
- Unknown salesman with lager gets up, well-oiled
- Devious in peril, spy adapted
- Elusive quality ultimately behind comfortable footwear
- Czech beer served up for a Yankee — ice-covered?
- Elusive, like a fox, say, carrying headless fish for breakfast
- Special mouth exercise found on line can’t be trusted
- Untrustworthy like a mule?
- Pied piper enters, cunning and elusive
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "ice-covered" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ice-covered = slippery.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SLIPPERY mean?
SLIPPERY adjective- Of a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling, etc.
- (by extension) Evasive; difficult to pin down.
- Liable to slip; not standing firm.
- Unstable; changeable; inconstant.
- Wanton; unchaste; loose in morals.