Nippy, while temperature beyond freezing, initially (4)
I believe the answer is:
fast
'nippy' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'while temperature beyond freezing initially' is the wordplay.
'while' becomes 'as' (eg 'while I walked' means 'as I walked').
'temperature' becomes 't' (abbreviation).
'beyond' says to put letters next to each other.
'initially' suggests taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'freezing' is 'f'.
'as'+'t'='ast'
'ast' put after 'f' is 'FAST'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for fast that I've seen before include "not lento" , "Abstain from eating" , "At high speed" , "Quick - don't eat" , "Starve; quick" .)