"They tell me …"

IHEAR

Think of the first word in a common phrase that describes receiving information through your ears.

The clue plays on the phrase "I hear," which is a common way to indicate gossip or secondhand information—like when someone says, "They tell me..." to introduce a rumor. Here, the answer is literally the words "I hear" written as one word, turning the spoken phrase into a concise crossword solution. It’s a straightforward example of how clues sometimes mimic natural speech patterns to hint at the answer.