Goodbye, and thank you for the applause (6)
I believe the answer is:
cheers
I believe this clue is a triple definition!
'goodbye' is the first definition.
(I know that goodbye can be written as cheers)
'and' is a link.
'thank you' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
'for' acts as a link.
'the applause' is the third definition.
(thesaurus)
(Other definitions for cheers that I've seen before include "Encouragement" , "so long and > much appreciated" , "Word often said before drinking" , "Shouts of approval" , "Cries of approval" .)