Cryptic crossword clue
Narrowly ahead, staff on boat successfully outwitting opponents 3-9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word ONE-UPMANSHIP

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
O
N
E
-
U
P
M
A
N
S
H
I
P

Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does ONE-UPMANSHIP mean?

ONE-UPMANSHIP noun
  1. The art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor.
  2. A succession of instances of outdoing a competitor.

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