You may be right, Pandora. If "half-baked" means to anagram "half" and "with unknowns" means to add "Ys" as in the plural of "Y" which is an unknown in a math equation, you have the letters for "flashy". Not sure if it equates to outstanding, but it's better than anything I've come up with - which is nothing.

I took it as if something is flashy it stands out, hence outstanding. Is it a true synonym of flashy? No, buts it’s clever.