Youth once fails to get soft toys (7)
I believe the answer is:
teddies
'soft toys' is the definition.
'teddies' can be an answer for 'toys' (teddy is a kind of toy). I'm not certain of the 'soft' bit.
'youth once fails to' is the wordplay.
'youth once' becomes 'ted' (teddy boy subculture from 50s and 60s).
'fails to' becomes 'dies' (I've seen this in other clues).
'ted'+'dies'='TEDDIES'
'get' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for teddies that I've seen before include "Undergarments and children's toys" , "Children's toy bears" , "Soft toy bears" .)