The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 3 plus 4 letter word OVER THE HILL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
O
V
E
R
T
H
E
H
I
L
L
More clues leading to the result OVER THE HILL
- Past it and into next valley?
- Past one’s peak?
- Past one's peak then?
- Finally descending past it
- On descent from plain, chap on horse suffering
- In a neighbouring valley, or past it?
- Learner in their hovel, dilapidated, past best
- No longer fit public torment includes greeting
- Ramshackle – their hovel – ultimately dreadful – past best
- Obscured by the scenery past it?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "On descent" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case on descent = over the hill.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.