Crossword Genius

Twist rope as sailor turns into icy area (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

crinkle

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

'twist' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'rope as sailor turns into icy area' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'as' could be 'in' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'in' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for crinkle that I've seen before include "Small crease or wrinkle" , "Curl" , "Clinker (anag.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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