Crossword Genius

Make a loan that should show interest (4,2,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lend an ear

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

'should show interest' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't tell whether it can be defined by this definition.

'make a loan' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is located in the answer.
'loan' could be 'lend' (synonyms) and 'lend' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'ear' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'that' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lend an ear that I've seen before include "Pay attention" , "Follow Mark Antony" , "Listen attentively (to)" , "Listen - to borrower" , "Hark" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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