The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word OTIC
O
T
I
C
More clues leading to the result OTIC
- Like listeners — 11? Not half!
- To do with the ear, some notice
- See sides being removed from organ
- Bar measure excluding priest involved with hearing
- Senior officer keeping it back for hearing?
- Ear’s twitching after second bit of gossip
- Some notice about hearing
- The Listener’s foolish not to feature old dictator
- Like some drums? See one beside backing
- Ring starts nervous reaction in the ear
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "around the ears" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case around the ears = otic.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 OTIC mean?
OTIC adjective- Of, relating/pertaining to, or located near the ear