The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ASSENTER
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
A
S
S
E
N
T
E
R
More clues leading to the result ASSENTER
- One allows donkey to get put down
- Fool to rush in – one giving agreement
- One agreeing to make fool join
- One nodding a cross in the box in commentary
- … one agrees for fool to come in
- Person agreeing to put together dope record
- One agrees American’s behind record
- He approves when Sibyl hoards books
- One who agrees with simpleton on board
- One middle-of-the-road position articulated by sycophant
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One nodding" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one nodding = assenter.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.