Sign or expression of praise (8)
I believe the answer is:
accolade
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">sign or expression of praise</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this before)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is the entire clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for accolade that I've seen before include "Great praise or elevation to knighthood" , "Special honour as an acknowledgment of merit" , "Approval, acclaim" , "Acclaim; mark of honour" , "Praise, or touch on shoulder to confer knighthood" .)