Crossword Genius

Already told not to delay purchase (2,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

by now

'already' is the definition.

'told not to delay purchase' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'not' could be 'no' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'no' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app