a very crossword!

[allotment10]

clue - cross with ivy said to be a teenager - 8 letters

have ???r?e?n

any help greatly appreciated.
lottie.

[jan1956]

thirteen or fourteen?
jan

[JoolsTwo]

I thought - thirteen - but can't work out why.

[allotment10]

thanks jan, think i'll go with the fourteen , you and argee have both said fourteen, don't understand the connection with the clue! think i'm going to pack up doing the my weekly one, every week i get stuck on it!

[allotment10]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puz zles/Question352581.html

here's the original q i put in, like i said don't understand half the clues or answers!
thanks jj, & jan, i promise this is the last time i do this mags c/word, cryptics just don't do it for me!
x lottie.

[Argee2]

Don't give up, Lottie, you will get better as you do more. Like everything else, you improve with practice!!!

[allotment10]

thanks argee,
i wish i would!

[kettledrum]

Lottie - Please don't give up! You'll get so much lasting pleasure from being able to crack cryptic clues, but I do think you are learning on a very difficult puzzle - neither jan, jimjools nor argee understand why it should be 'fourteen' and I certainly don't!
I don't know what to suggest as someting more straightforward to cut your teeth on. Do you fancy the Daily Telegraph?

[allotment10]

thanks kd, never seen the daily telegraph one, i do the scottish sunday mail cryptic one, but then i'm always getting stuck and have to ask on here! i'm a right airhead with them :-(

[kettledrum]

Lottie - I'm not familiar with the Scottish Daily Mail, but I'm sure its crossword will be more staightforward than this one. Why don't you give that a whirl, and the people on this site will be only too pleased to try to explain the answers if you don't understand. Good luck!