Stop to remove growth by ear? (6)
I believe the answer is:
desist
'stop' is the definition.
(desist means to stop)
'remove growth by ear?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'remove' could be 'de' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'de' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'sist' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'to' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for desist that I've seen before include "'Stop, give over (6)'" , "Cease; abstain" , "Eject; annoyed" , "Stop, whoa, give over" , "Forbear" .)