Nod off after ennui provoking gossip (8)
I believe the answer is:
innuendo
'nod' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'after ennui provoking gossip' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
an anagram of 'ennui' is 'innue' which is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'off' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for innuendo that I've seen before include "Malicious implication" , "Subtle disparagement" , "suggestive remarks" , "hint" , "Naughty suggestion" .)