Manner is miserly, by the sound of it (4)
I believe the answer is:
mien
'manner' is the definition.
(mien can mean a manner or attitude)
'miserly by the sound of it' is the wordplay.
'miserly' becomes 'mean' (synonyms).
'by the sound of it' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'mean' is a homophone of 'MIEN'.
'is' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for mien that I've seen before include "A face - maybe mine" , "A manner like mine" , "A person's demeanour" , "A countenance like mine" , "The carriage" .)