Had hopes of getting wildly praised (7)
I believe the answer is:
aspired
'had hopes' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'wildly praised' is the wordplay.
'wildly' is an anagram indicator.
'praised' anagrammed gives 'ASPIRED'.
'of getting' is the link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for aspired that I've seen before include "Aimed" , "Had ambition" , "Hoped" , "Was most anxious to" , "Had an ambitious plan or lofty goal" .)