The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word FOREGO
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
F
O
R
E
G
O
More clues leading to the result FOREGO
- Manage without, because of self-esteem
- Don’t bother with warning shot
- Give up game after opponent captures rook
- Force state briefly to give up
- Driver’s warning shot makes you surrender
- Refrain from supporting self- admiration
- Seeing that, I give up
- Self-serving forfeit?
- Confidence booster is good — —? Do without
- Sacrifice made in the interest of self-esteem?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Happen prior to" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case happen prior to = forego.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 FOREGO mean?
FOREGO verb- To precede, to go before.
- To let pass, to leave alone, to let go.
- To do without, to abandon, to renounce.
- To refrain from, to abstain from, to pass up, to withgo.