Boyfriend gets nod to go ahead with surprise (4,4)
I believe the answer is:
bowl over
'surprise' is the definition.
(bowling over is a kind of surprising)
'boyfriend gets nod to go ahead' is the wordplay.
'boyfriend' becomes 'lover' (boyfriend is a type of lover).
'gets nod' becomes 'bow' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'to go ahead' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'lover' after 'bow' is 'BOWL OVER'.
'with' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bowl over that I've seen before include "Overwhelm with surprise - in cricker?" , "Overwhelm or surprise, as cricket thrower may" , "Thoroughly delight" , "wow" , "really impress" .)