Applaud deception? What nonsense! (8)
I believe the answer is:
claptrap
'nonsense' is the definition.
(informal term meaning nonsense or rubbish)
'applaud deception?' is the wordplay.
'applaud' becomes 'clap' (synonyms).
'deception?' becomes 'trap'.
'clap'+'trap'='CLAPTRAP'
'what' is the link.
(Other definitions for claptrap that I've seen before include "Cobblers" , "Empty words" , "Utter rubbish" , "Stuff and nonsense" , "Pretentious rot" .)