Picked up by the ears? (5)
I believe the answer is:
heard
'picked up by the ears?' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for heard that I've seen before include "Listened to (sound)" , "Perceived sound" , "Got to know (of)" , "Picked up by the ears?" , "Perceived by the ear" .)