Cryptic crossword clue
A particular dark time to sustain a casual relationship 3-5,5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 plus 5 letter word ONE-NIGHT STAND

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
O
N
E
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N
I
G
H
T
S
T
A
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D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "casual relationship" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case casual relationship = one-night stand.
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.

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