Crossword Genius

Not having made a score in years (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

teenage

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'not having' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'a score in years' is the wordplay.
'a score in' becomes 'teen' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'years' becomes 'age' (period of many years).
'teen'+'age'='TEENAGE'

'made' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for teenage that I've seen before include "Adolescent" , "13 to 19 years old" , "Suitable for years 13-19" , "Like one thirteen-nineteen years old" , "of seven difficult years" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.