Historical clue formulations

• Top-tier — 2026-02-16
• Get the win over — 2025-12-04
• Most exceptional — 2025-10-26
• Common email sign-off — 2024-08-19
• Choice — 2024-04-19
• Word in most Academy Award titles — 2023-12-11
• Lead-in to "by" or "Buy" — 2023-10-05
• Word etched on most Oscar statuettes — 2023-10-02
• Top — 2023-09-20
• Outdo — 2022-06-02
• "Yours truly" alternative — 2022-06-01
• Word before Actor and Actress at the Oscars — 2022-01-10
• Top — 2021-10-19
• Tops — 2021-09-26
• Winning a blue ribbon — 2020-10-12
• Top-of-the-line — 2020-07-21
• ___ in show (canine award) — 2020-07-20
• Superlative — 2020-07-13
• Alternative to "Yours truly" — 2020-05-28
• ___ Picture (Oscars category) — 2020-02-10
• Part of BFF — 2019-10-01
• Defeat — 2019-09-25
• Common email sign-off word — 2019-04-01
• Worst in a competition — 2019-03-14
• One-up — 2018-09-08
• Sunday ___ — 2018-06-22
• Top — 2018-06-07
• Award category word — 2017-05-07
• Overcome — 2017-04-09
• Top-shelf — 2017-01-29
• Top — 2017-01-15
• Casual sign-off in a letter — 2016-11-22
• Finish ahead of — 2016-06-19
• Outduel, e.g. — 2016-04-06
• A+++ — 2016-01-25
• Cream of the crop — 2015-09-14
• First word in every Academy Award category — 2015-05-26
• Annual Car and Driver list — 2013-09-26
• Start of the title for every Oscar — 2013-07-10
• With "in" and 25-Down, blue ribbon earner — 2013-05-29
• Outdo — 2012-05-01
• Second to none — 2012-02-06
• A-number-one — 2012-01-03
• With 10-Down, favored the most — 2011-04-30
• Optimal — 2011-02-09
• Crème de la crème — 2010-04-26
• Letter sign-off — 2009-06-03
• Oscar superlative — 2008-08-21
• ___ in Show (Westminster prize) — 2007-08-07
• Tops — 2007-01-14