European's quiet word of approval (4)
I believe the answer is:
pole
'european's' is the definition.
(Pole is an example)
'quiet word of approval' is the wordplay.
'quiet' becomes 'p' (music symbol for 'piano', ie soft or quiet).
'word of approval' becomes 'ole' (Spanish word expressing approval or excitement).
'p'+'ole'='POLE'
(Other definitions for pole that I've seen before include "Limit" , "Native of Warsaw" , "Wooden rod" , "Man from Warsaw" , "Heavenly body indicating north" .)