The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 plus 2 letter word EARLIER ON
E
A
R
L
I
E
R
O
N
More clues leading to the result EARLIER ON
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "some time ago" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case some time ago = earlier on.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.