Rule clubs ignored after a while (4)
I believe the answer is:
anon
'after a while' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'rule clubs ignored' is the wordplay.
'rule' becomes 'canon' (canon is a kind of rule).
'clubs' becomes 'c' (abbreviation used in card games such as bridge).
'ignored' suggests deleting specific letters.
'canon' with 'c' removed is 'ANON'.
(Other definitions for anon that I've seen before include "Incognito (abbrev)" , "Soon - unknown author (abbr)" , "Of unknown identity, in short" , "soon to be written" , "Soon or presently" .)