Oddly, the male picked up work rate (5)
I believe the answer is:
tempo
'rate' is the definition.
(musical rhythm or rate)
'oddly the male picked up work' is the wordplay.
'oddly' indicates alternate letters (letters in the odd-numbered positions are used).
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'picked up' says the letters should be written backwards.
'work' becomes 'op' (operation, work done in an operating theatre).
The alternating letters of 'the' are 'te'.
'op' written backwards gives 'po'.
'te'+'m'+'po'='TEMPO'
(Other definitions for tempo that I've seen before include "What a metronome provides" , "Rate and rhythm in music" , "Beat (music)" , "Pace, rate" , "Pace of a musical piece" .)