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I think we all agree that the answer isn't a 13 letter word but 4 words starting "well I never" which is definitely an exclamation of surprise, which I agree is looking favourite, My quandary is the last word (-I-), which has been reckoned to be (did), I agreed with this at first, but on further thought, I have come to a different result. As 'well i never did' sounds perfectly plausable, I think that as the word 'did' appears in the clue, and Times standard clues don't follow the practise of words appearing in the clue and answer, then could it be 'Well I never win' as to excel is to do better,and Do better is synonymous with winning? Tell me what you think.

Surprised as I am to say this, not once did I excel.

You have a point but I still prefer Did,it is a well known phrase and win is present tense - well I never won doesn't fit the letters.

I don't win is the same as excel. To players can excel themselves but one of them must lose.

Good thinking trevor, I never even thought about the tense. I tend not to, because there are so many clues that are groaners because of the perverted use of poetic license and wromgly used present and past tense.But that's great work and good enough for me.

Not totally sure though,Did (as you said)appearing in the clue and the answer puts me off a bit.
You can't always be sure with these pesky compilers.I think it is not a great clue unless there is a 13 letter word that we have all missed

I cant find a 13 letter word for it anywhere, not the dictionary or in any literature capacity. We'll be put out of our misery on Sunday. I've sent it off anyway with the answer we agreed "well I never did". lets hope we are right

Irrespective of the number of letters and the sloppiness of the clueing,surely the 'excel' element is the word 'well' -- if you invert the sentence, it's 'I never did well' which makes sense for 'Not once did I excel'.

Well the debate is now over...The answer is Well I never did....