Salute an icy aerial bombardment? (4)

I believe the answer is:

hail

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

This clue could be a double definition.

'salute an icy aerial' is the first definition.
'hail' can be an answer for 'salute' (I've seen this in another clue). I'm unsure of the 'an icy aerial' bit.

'bombardment?' is the second definition.
(thesaurus)

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hail that I've seen before include "Welcome - sort of shower" , "An ancient Roman hello" , "Greet enthusiastically" , "Greeting - falling stones" , "Greet, acclaim" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent and The Sun.

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.