The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word ALLIANCE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
A
L
L
I
A
N
C
E
More clues leading to the result ALLIANCE
- Partnership for one out of loyalty
- Bond completely frozen, and almost trapped
- Everyone in church will welcome a marriage
- Union everyone in church accepts first of all
- Union has no beginning in casual relationship
- Union spent to bring in a civil engineer
- . After day out, flirtation becomes mutual bond
- . Daughter abandoning affair? It might mean marriage
- Marriage of pin-up in fancy lace
- Association of everyone that is kept outside particular African party
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Association" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case association = alliance.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ALLIANCE mean?
ALLIANCE noun- The state of being allied.
- The act of allying or uniting.
- A union or connection of interests between families, states, parties, etc., especially between families by marriage and states by compact, treaty, or league.
- Any union resembling that of families or states; union by relationship in qualities; affinity.
- (with the definite article) The persons or parties allied.
- To connect or unite by alliance; to ally.