Before the expected time (5)
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">before the expected time</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this before)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for early that I've seen before include "Untimely" , "Forward" , "in the morning?" , "Premature" , "Infancy, when Wordsworth had 5 across of 5 down" .)
(Other definitions for earlier that I've seen before include "at a previous date" , "of a bygone age?" , "(Happening) before in time" , "Formerly" , "Further back in time" .)