The yard got a tip off that came to nothing (5)
I believe the answer is:
patio
'the yard' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a tip off that came to nothing' is the wordplay.
'off' is an anagram indicator.
'that came to nothing' becomes 'o' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'a'+'tip'='atip'
'atip' is an anagram of 'pati'.
'pati'+'o'='PATIO'
'got' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for patio that I've seen before include "Paved outdoor area" , "Place to sit" , "Inner courtyard" , "Garden terrace" , "Paved eating area adjoining house" .)