bob
Not long ago, past, recently, and the other day to name a few.
a while back... year ago... Before you were probably born... times past . . . days of yore . . . past times . . .
because
ago
In the Irish language fadó means 'long ago'.
A long time ago, you gave me this as a gift. It was some time ago; it fit you back then.
Recent
old
Yes, the noun 'long ago' is a common noun, a general word for a time in the past.A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or thing.The term 'long ago' also functions as an adjective to describe a noun.
It came out a long time ago
One word that usually means "not short" is tall. The other major antonym is long.