The New York Times Crossword · 26-Across · 13 letters
Country club? The New York Times Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed September 18, 2026
Answer · 13 letters
UNITED NATIONS
In the grid: UNITEDNATIONS · no spaces
UNITED NATIONS is a playful country club: a group of member nations rather than a golf or social club. The question mark flags the shift in club, and the grid entry drops the space to make thirteen letters.
Different crossing letters? Check another fit →A club made of countries, not golfers
The clue borrows the everyday phrase country club and changes what country means. Here the members are countries rather than people at a rural social or golf club. The United Nations describes itself as an international organization, which supplies the intended association.
Read the question mark and count the cells
The question mark warns that the familiar venue meaning is a deliberate misdirection. UNITED has six letters and NATIONS has seven; together they fill thirteen cells without the space. Another puzzle might use a different country-group name, so crossings and the recorded source matter as well as the pun.
References behind this explanation
These references support the meaning or background; they are not publisher endorsements.
Where this clue appeared
26-Across in The New York Times Crossword puzzle for September 18, 2026.
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