The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 2 plus 3 plus 5 letter word LONG IN THE TOOTH
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
L
O
N
G
I
N
T
H
E
T
O
O
T
H
More clues leading to the result LONG IN THE TOOTH
- Perhaps like a 1970s filling for spring chicken? No!
- Grey, like a dental amalgam with enduring quality?
- Having been around to hotel — nothing in order
- Old description of Smilodon!
- Old desire curtailed by article on taste
- Old pine carried by the cog
- Old as Dracula?
- Old hotel tonight — no different!
- Hen night lot? Too drunk, and old
- Advanced hotel tonight? No sadly
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Old" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case old = long in the tooth.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.