The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word THEE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
T
H
E
E
More clues leading to the result THEE
- Romeo abandoning trio's second person once
- You there: get right out!
- Originally exposed after an article by you many years ago
- 2 removing me and then them, for you once
- Second person appearing in Bible
- Note about that fellow you employed in the past
- Reader formerly common among these three
- You and supporter of course may hold hands at first
- Mark will go around hospital for you as before
- Second person’s article on drug
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "you many years ago" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case you many years ago = thee.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 THEE mean?
THEE verb- To address (a person) using the pronoun thee.
- To use the word thee.
- Objective and reflexive case of thou.
- Thou.
- To thrive; prosper.
- The letter ⟨(⟩, which stands for the th sound /ð/ in Pitman shorthand.