Novelly difficult periods (4,5)
I believe the answer is:
hard times
'novelly' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'difficult periods' is the wordplay.
'difficult' becomes 'hard' (associated in meaning).
'periods' becomes 'times' (time is a kind of period).
'hard'+'times'='HARD TIMES'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for hard times that I've seen before include "Novel featuring Mr Gradgrind" , "work with social relevance" , "Possibly description of our crossword" , "Dickensian chronicle" , "Stealers of things" .)