long-ago

That optimistic baby had come on so like the private eye in any long-ago radio drama, believing all you needed was grit, resourcefulness, exemption from hidebound cops' rules, to solve any great mystery.

1966 March, Thomas Pynchon, chapter 5, in The Crying of Lot 49, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, published November 1976, →ISBN, page 91

Fortunately, their nicknames give them away: All are figures associated with the Mafia, that fetishistically documented secret society responsible for long-ago crime waves, more recent cinematic masterpieces and, above all, an enduring modern marketing bonanza.

2007 October 21, Michael Brick, “The Mafia, an F.B.I. Agent and Murder: Mr. Scorsese, Your Next Film Awaits”, in New York Times

She remembered a long-ago dinner they shared at Chasen's, one of Hollywood's most clubbish and exclusive restaurant […]

2009, Shawn Levy, Paul Newman: A Life

The answer, according to James Moore, who as minister of Canadian heritage is in charge of the campaign, is that the government simply wants the long-ago war, which few Canadians know well, to be remembered.

2012 October 7, Ian Austen, “Canada Puts Spotlight on War of 1812, With U.S. as Villain”, in New York Times

As a teen, I remember going to 70s-themed discos in outrageous flared trousers bought from charity shops and feeling that it was a distant historical era. But now I realise there’s a pile of Gen-Zedders who feel the same way about the 90s and are no doubt making fun of my music taste and long-ago penchant for combat trousers, friendship bracelets and straightening my hair to within an inch of its life like the Appleton sisters did.

2020 March 1, Elizabeth Day, “Oh my God… I’m retro!”, in You