Better than average sailor finished embracing dad (5,3)
I believe the answer is:
above par
'better than average' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'sailor finished embracing dad' is the wordplay.
'sailor' becomes 'ab' (abbreviation for able seaman).
'finished' becomes 'over' (over can mean finished or ended).
'embracing' is an insertion indicator.
'dad' becomes 'pa' (both can mean one's father).
'over' placed around 'pa' is 'ovepar'.
'ab'+'ovepar'='ABOVE PAR'
(Other definitions for above par that I've seen before include "bad score on course" , "better than expected" , "Better than average, except in golf" , "Higher than average - bad in golf" , "at a premium" .)