What's the deal?

Latest answer — March 17, 2026

1 Down

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NYT Mini Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, March 17, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1One drawing X's and O's
  2. 6Company whose market cap (~$4 trillion) exceeds the G.D.P. of most countries
  3. 7"Chill!"
  4. 8Do some rhythmic tapping
  5. 9Back talk

Down

  1. 1What's the deal?
  2. 2"The Phantom of the ___"
  3. 3Excellent grade
  4. 4Sandpipers dig for them in the sand
  5. 5Evil spell

The answer to “What's the deal?” in the New York Times Mini crossword is CARDS — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on March 17, 2026 at 1-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“What's the deal?” answer

CARDS (5 letters)

Use the reveal tiles above to uncover the solution one letter at a time if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Prefer the full answer straight away? It's CARDS.

Why the answer is CARDS

CARDS is the 5-letter solution that fits "What's the deal?" in the NYT Mini crossword on March 17, 2026 (1-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does CARDS mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of CARDS is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a piece of thick, stiff paper or thin pasteboard, in particular one used for writing or printing on
  • a small rectangular piece of plastic containing personal data in a machine-readable form and used to obtain cash or credit or to pay for a phone call, gain entry to a room or building, etc.
  • a playing card

When else has “What's the deal?” appeared?

New York Times Mini reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

March 17, 2026 (most recent) → CARDS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “What's the deal?”?

The answer is CARDS, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on March 17, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “What's the deal?”?

5 letters: CARDS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Mini crossword on March 17, 2026, at 1-Down.

Can “What's the deal?” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times Mini sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of today's NYT Mini answers?

Every clue and answer from that day's puzzle is linked above, and the full grid is on the NYT Mini answers page.

New York Times Mini Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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