Crossword Genius

Refined sources of metal extremely well! (8,2)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gracious me

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

'well' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't tell whether it can be defined by this definition.

'refined sources of metal extremely' is the wordplay.
'refined' becomes 'gracious' (similar in meaning).
'sources of' suggests taking the first letters (the beginning of a word is its sauce).
The first letters of 'metal extremely' is 'me'.
'gracious'+'me'='GRACIOUS ME'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for gracious me that I've seen before include "Mamma Mia!" , "Gordon Bennett" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.