In the distant past (4,3)
I believe the answer is:
long ago
'in the distant past' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for long ago that I've seen before include "In the distant past" , "way back" , "in the 26 [PAST]" , "Many moons past" , "Many years past" .)