Watched like a hawk or a freshwater fish, in a manner of speaking (4)
I believe the answer is:
eyed
'watched' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'like a hawk or a freshwater fish in a manner of speaking' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'like' could be 'y' (similar in meaning) and 'y' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'eed' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for eyed that I've seen before include "Looked at closely" , "Looked at, warily perhaps" , "Ogled" , "Watched with interest" , "Viewed" .)