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I am very new to writing riddles and such, so bear with me if this one is terrible.

My prefix is the dream of many, but the life of very few.

If you were my infix, you'd wish that you further grew.

My suffix is the crutch of many who wish to speak their minds

If you view me in the dark, a glow I leave behind

What am I?

This one requires a bit of outside knowledge, but anybody with a high school degree has heard of this at some point.

I will add hints every once in a while if nobody has gotten it yet. Good luck, and feedback is very much appreciated!

First Hint:

Though soft and silky I might seem, I'd warn you to beware; Should you be exposed to me, you might start losing hair.

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  • $\begingroup$ Could you elaborate on the "crutch of many"? (non-native speaker) "Crutch of someone" meaning "something that someone could lean on"? $\endgroup$
    – Eutherpy
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 14:20
  • $\begingroup$ "To use (something) as a crutch" is also used metaphorically to refer to something that provides support (either physical or psychological), often with the implication that the measure is crude or temporary. $\endgroup$
    – EightAndAHalfTails
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 14:23
  • $\begingroup$ That is the part I had the most difficulty wording, especially if I wanted to keep my rhyme looking pretty. The suffix here is something that many people rely on to a fault, as someone might rely on a crutch when they don't need it. $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 14:23

6 Answers 6

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Welcome to Puzzling SE!

I'm pretty sure you're:

Actinium

My prefix is the dream of many, but the life of very few.

Many people dream of acting, yet few are successful

If you were my infix, you'd wish that you further grew.

I'm sure if you were "tini", you'd wish you were bigger

My suffix is the crutch of many who wish to speak their minds

Umm...

If you view me in the dark, a glow I leave behind

Actinium Picture
Actinium glows when active

And for the hint:

Actinium has a soft and silky look, and exposure to radioactive elements can cause hair loss

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    $\begingroup$ Bravo! Hopefully it wasn't too easy $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 15:05
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I'm not entirely sure about this at all but I'll guess

Promethium?

My prefix is the dream of many, but the life of very few.

A lot of people want to be a pro (professional) in their field but some never reach that stage in the end.

If you were my infix, you'd wish that you further grew.

Methi seeds or the plant itself?

My suffix is the crutch of many who wish to speak their minds.

Um as in "Ummmm... I think"

If you view me in the dark, a glow I leave behind.

It's a glowing radioactive element?

For the hint

I'm not sure if it's soft or not but to be exposed to the radioactive element, surely you'll be expected to loose a lot more than hair.

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    $\begingroup$ So incredibly close, and mostly everything you said could easily apply. However, Promethium is not characteristicly soft. $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 14:41
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    $\begingroup$ I did a little more research and I think it's Actinium, isn't it? EDIT: Welp, never mind someone already beat me to it. $\endgroup$
    – Kevorobin
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 15:02
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    $\begingroup$ Post a new answer, I am interested in seeing your reasoning $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 15:03
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The answer is

Radium

My prefix is the dream of many, but the life of very few.

Everybody wants to be rad, but most people only reach tubular, mondo, or outrageous.

If you were my infix, you'd wish that you further grew.

Lowercase i wishes it were I.

My suffix is the crutch of many who wish to speak their minds

Um.. um.. let me just um.. say um.. this one um.. thing.

If you view me in the dark, a glow I leave behind

Radioluminescent paint uses radium-226.

The hint:

Radium is soft, yet radioactive.

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    $\begingroup$ I didn't think this would work with so many elements... but nice answer! $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 16:31
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Similar to some other answers, are you

THORIUM?

My prefix is the dream of many, but the life of very few.

THOR is dreamy, but only a handful people have ever claimed the title

If you were my infix, you'd wish that you further grew.

I might wish I were bigger?

My suffix is the crutch of many who wish to speak their minds

"UM" is an common interjection when people are speaking

If you view me in the dark, a glow I leave behind

Thorium can glow

Hint:

Thorium is soft (but not sure how 'silky' it is) and radioactive.

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    $\begingroup$ I love this answer, it definitely makes sense. Simon got the answer I was thinking of, but +1 for a new take on it! $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 15:06
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This is going to be my super-stretch answer of the day, but are you

ULTRAVIOLET (light)

My prefix is the dream of many, but the life of very few.

Not many people are ULTRA-rich

If you were my infix, you'd wish that you further grew.

Stretch #1: if you further grew by one letter, you could be RAVIOLI instead of "RAVIOL"

My suffix is the crutch of many who wish to speak their minds

Stretch #2: if you wanted to speak your mind, I should LET you speak it.

If you view me in the dark, a glow I leave behind

Stretch #3: UV radiation can glow in the dark...?

Hint:

Exposure to UV can lead to hair loss.

This seems like I hopped on a train headed the wrong direction, and refuse to disembark...

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    $\begingroup$ You are in the right ballpark, and certainly the right subject in school. Not quite what I had in mind though $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 14:20
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I don't think this even qualifies as a stretch, but is it

some kind of a mollusc

since some kinds of them are

glowing in the dark (bioluminescent)

and the suffix is

usc (as in the United States Constitution)

which is something a lot of people refer to as justification for saying something?

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    $\begingroup$ I like the explanation, but how do you explain the prefix? $\endgroup$
    – Cubemaster
    Commented Aug 9, 2018 at 14:42

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