Referring Clues

• Most vague
• Top of the heap
• A+
• Cream of the crop
• Top-quality
• Whip
• Vanquish
• Numero uno
• Outdo
• Crème de la crème
• Top
• Bet or buy lead-in
• Informal letter signoff
• Brief letter sign-off
• Superlative
• Oscar word
• Tops
• Top of the line
• Sunday ___
• With 47-Across, Academy Award category
• First-place
• Taking the blue ribbon
• Rating a blue ribbon
• Informal letter closing
• Overcome
• Top spot
• Eclipse
•     Trump
• Primo
• Oscar title starter
• ___ in Show (Westminster prize)
• Oscar superlative
• Letter sign-off
• First-rate
• Finest
• Unsurpassed
• Part of TCBY
• Top-shelf
• Word before friend or seller
• One-up
• Of the highest quality
• Gold medal-winning
• Greatest
• Most outstanding
• Blue-ribbon word
• Word on a blue ribbon
• Nonpareil
• Prize-winning
• Excelling all others
• Top-of-the-line
• Award-worthy
• With 47-Down, what the films in this puzzle are nominated for
• At the top of the heap
• "___ in Show"
• #1
• "The ___ Is Yet to Come"
• With 21-Across, theme of this puzzle
• Second to none
• Starr predecessor
• Outrun, say
• Beat
• Highest-quality
• A-one
• Finest possible
• Top-rated
• Outperform
• Most helpful
• Kindest regards
• Better than better
• Deserving a blue ribbon
• What father knows?
• Overthrow
• How father knows
• Second-to-none
• Superlatively good
• Conquer
• Brightest cohort
• Optimum
• Unexcelled
• Type of man or boy
• Blue ribbon-worthy
• "Father Knows ___"
• Film-award word
• Optimal
• Letter ender, perhaps
• As good as it gets
• With 10-Down, favored the most
• Foremost
• "___ in Show"
• Early Beatle Pete
• Trump
• Inferior to none
• Part of BFF
• Part 6 of our Christmas Carol
• Defeat
• With Banting, insulin finder
• Insulin co-inventer
• Gold medalist, vis-à-vis competitors
• Word on Oscars
• Met basso
• A-number-one
• Top-notch
• Oscar-night superlative
• Unsurpassable
• A-number-1
• Number one
• A-No. 1
• No. 1
• Unmatched
• Most desirable
• Word in an award category
• See 88-Down
• Highest quality
• Like the champ
• Letter closer
• Defeat, in a way
• Word on an Oscar
• Above all others
• Oscar category word
• With "in" and 25-Down, blue ribbon earner
• Brief letter closing
• Start of the title for every Oscar
• Topnotch
• Annual Car and Driver list
• ___ in Show: dog prize
• Better superlative
• Awards show superlative
• Get the better of
• Good's superlative
• Grade A
• Most excellent
• Unsurpassed, or surpass
• Good, better, ___
• First word in every Academy Award category
• Champ
• See 44-Down
• Most suitable
• Highest in quality
• Word in oscar categories
• A+++
• Come out on top
• #1 status
• Outduel, e.g.
• Unequaled
• Finish ahead of
• Better than good
• Cream
• Casual sign-off in a letter
• Word used when there is none better?
• Sunday garb?
• Top-ranked
• Oscars superlative
• Award category word
• Leading
• It's better than better (with "the")
• Oscars category word
• Worthy of a blue ribbon
• Brightest's cohort
• Oscar adjective
• Actress Edna ___
• Supreme
• Choicest
• Most favorable
• Prime
• It's better than better
• The greatest
• Not good or better
• What a blue ribbon may denote
• ___-of album
• With 48-down, Oscar category
• Outsmart
• Sunday clothes?
• Foo Fighters "___ of You"
• Pete from the Beatles
• "It's for the ___" Straylight Run
• Vanessa Williams "Save the ___ for Last"
• Original Beatles drummer Pete
• Foo Fighters hit "___ of You"
• Limit of one's ability
• Elite
• Top man on the 24 across
• Worst as one part of speech, but only one
• See 24
• To be a saint is superlatively good
• Defeat good enemy?
• What George was, at soccer?
• George's finest
• Finest of tube stations?
• Superlative of good
• Top footballer once
• Conferred with footballer needing to be paid off?
• Finest - and worst!
• Most excellent - late football star
• Of highest quality, or worst
• The finest - and worst
• "Hit Me with Your ___ Shot"
• Top-rate
• Beat the unbeatable
• Worst, or just the opposite?
• See 3
• Old sporting hero Coe over time
• Order he's forgotten for cream
• Highest-rated
• ___ Picture (top award at the Oscars)
• What nothing is better than
• Most appropriate
• With 51-Down, tops
• Worst
• Defeat the greatest!
• ___ practice
• Surpassing all others
• Blue-ribbon
• Wager about small top
• Triumph over
• Pete, the Beatles' drummer before Starr
• Oscar-worthy
• Ultimately better?
• Drummer replaced by Starr
• Most superior
• Correspondence sign-off
• Place higher than
• Worst in a competition
• None better
• Common email sign-off word
• It's most advisable to have a beanfeast outside
• Oscars word
• "Level" effort
• Ultimate effort
• Choice
• One's smartest outfit
• Oscars adjective
• Friendly email sign-off
• Numero uno, with "the"
• *Top, or tops
• Author Edna ___
• Least bad
• Likeliest bets, possibly
• Common letter closer
• ___ Picture (Oscars category)
• Award adjective
• Finest of tube stations?
• Gold-medal caliber
• Academy Awards word
• Alternative to "Yours truly"
• Take down
• To the highest degree
• ___ in show (canine award)
• Handiest of tube stations
• Winning a blue ribbon
• ___ man
• Finest ever to play for N. Ireland?
• A BFF word
• ___ friend
• "The ___" (Tina Turner hit)
• Word in a Tony Award
• What George was, at soccer?
• Opposite of worst
• Outplay
• Oscars category adjective
• "Yours truly" alternative
• "You're My ___ Friend" (Queen song)
• Common awards word
• ___-case scenario
• Awards adjective
• Word before Actor and Actress at the Oscars
• Better than the rest
• Brief email sign-off
• "I wish you the ___"
• Word in many award category names
• "It happens to the ___ of us"
• Lead-in to "by" or "Buy"
• Word in most Academy Award titles
• "Simply the ___" (Tina Turner hit)
• The "B" of BFF
• Common email sign-off
• "You're the ___!"
• GOATed
• Make the ___ of a bad situation
• Most exceptional
• Get the win over
• Top-tier