The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 3 letter word LONG AGO
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
L
O
N
G
A
G
O
More clues leading to the result LONG AGO
- New crack found in toilet, way back
- Silver ring found on pine in the distant past
- An attempt on record broken by any number in the past
- Note silence among ladies in bygone times
- Wish to have a board game is far in the past
- Accepting reporting restriction, see no way back
- From way back, emblem’s included prancing nag
- Look! No joke’s going to be incisive from that far back in time
- Yearn for a turn in the distant past
- Yearn for a try from far back
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "in bygone times" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in bygone times = long ago.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.