Common predicament, going topless gets the go-ahead (5,5)
I believe the answer is:
green light
'the go-ahead' is the definition.
('green light' can be a synonym of 'go-ahead')
'common predicament going topless' is the wordplay.
'common' becomes 'green' ('green' can be a synonym of 'common').
'predicament' becomes 'plight' ('plight' can be a synonym of 'predicament').
'going topless' means to remove the first letter.
'plight' with its initial letter taken away is 'light'.
'green'+'light'='GREEN LIGHT'
'gets' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for green light that I've seen before include "OK" , "Signal of consent" , "Seal of approval" , "What one has to go on" , "Sanction" .)