Old woman ditches union leader, getting shot? (7)
I believe the answer is:
opaline
'old woman' is the definition.
'Opaline' can be an answer for 'woman'. I'm not certain of the 'old' bit.
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for opaline that I've seen before include "whitish glass" , "Translucent glass" , "Milk glass" , "Semi-translucent glass" , "Opaquish glass; iridescent" .)