Is it possible to “constify” a field of `std::pair` without hacks?

Question

In C++, the compiling the following code:

std::pair   x;
static_cast *> (&x);

gi

Answer 1

How about this:

template< typename T1, typename T2 >
struct ref_pair {
public:
    typedef const T1 first_type;
    typedef T2 second_type;

    ref_pair(first_type& f, second_type& s) : f_(f), s_(s) {}

    first_type& first() {return *f_;}
    second_type& second() {return *s_;}
private:
    first_type* f_;
    second_type* s_;
};

I know, it's different, those are functions. If you're really desperate, you can turn first and second into objects of some proxy type which delay-evaluate *f_ and *s_.
However, in the end there's always a way users can tell the difference.

---

I think the following would be reasonably safe and portable, although, of course, with reinterpret_cast nothing is guaranteed:

std:::pair& rx = reinterpret_cast&>(x);

It feels dirty, though. I'm now going to wash my hands.