Crossword Genius

How to complain about hard water (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

icily

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

'how' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adverbs. Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?

I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for icily that I've seen before include "Without feeling" , "In a cold manner" , "in unfriendly way" , "In a frosty manner" , "In a cool manner" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.