Crossword Genius

Outstanding friend circled layer on sign (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

phenomenal

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'outstanding' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'friend circled layer on sign' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'layer' could be 'hen' (hens lay eggs) and 'hen' is located in the answer.
'sign' could be 'omen' (omen is a kind of sign) and 'omen' is present in the answer.
'friend' could be 'pal' (pal can mean a friend) and 'pal' is found within the leftover letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for phenomenal that I've seen before include "Stunning" , "Exceptionally good" , "Unusual" , "Amazing" , "Remarkable" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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