"That's Great News!" Crossword Clue
By: Five Letter Words | Last edited: May 05, 2025
Working on the exciting "That's great news!" crossword clue from the May 05, 2025 New York Times Mini puzzle? We've discovered the precise 3-letter answer you're searching for. To make your puzzle experience more engaging, we've created interactive features to support your solving process. Explore our letter-by-letter reveal tool to gradually uncover the solution, or check out our thoughtfully created hints—such as helpful word patterns, alternative clues with identical answers, or detailed explanations to direct your thinking. We've also made it simple to navigate between connected clues from the same puzzle, enabling you to solve multiple clues efficiently. Ready to discover this enthusiastic expression? Let's explore the answer together!
Crossword Answer:
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About This Clue
The May 05, 2025 New York Times Mini Crossword featured the clue "That's great news!" with the answer YAY. This clue is asking for an expression of excitement or joy that someone might exclaim upon hearing positive information. "YAY" is a perfect fit as it's a short, enthusiastic exclamation commonly used to express happiness, approval, or celebration when someone shares good news. This type of conversational expression appears frequently in the NYT Mini Crossword, as it reflects everyday language and common verbal reactions.
Linguistic and Cultural Context
The exclamation "YAY" (sometimes spelled "YAY!" or "YAAY") has been a part of American English as an expression of joy or triumph since at least the mid-20th century, though its origins likely go back further. It's considered an interjection—a word or phrase that expresses strong emotion and typically stands alone in a sentence. "YAY" is notable for its versatility in modern communication. It can be used in response to news of any scale—from major life events ("I got the job!" "Yay!") to minor daily pleasures ("There's still coffee left." "Yay!"). The expression is particularly common in casual conversation and digital communication, where it often serves as a quick, positive acknowledgment. In written text, especially in digital contexts like text messages, social media, or emails, "YAY" is frequently elongated for emphasis ("YAAAY") or accompanied by exclamation points to convey increased enthusiasm. It's considered friendly, warm, and somewhat informal, making it particularly common in personal rather than professional contexts (though this boundary continues to blur in modern communication). The simplicity and positivity of "YAY" make it a perfect match for the clue "That's great news!" Both phrases express enthusiasm and celebration, creating a direct connection between the clue and its solution. While "YAY" might seem like a simple answer, its cultural relevance and perfect match to the clue make it an elegant solution for the NYT Mini Crossword.
NYT Mini Crossword Tips
When solving clues that involve exclamations or expressions in the NYT Mini Crossword, it's helpful to think about common, short reactions that fit the emotional tone suggested by the clue. For "That's great news!", the answer would need to be a positive, celebratory expression. The three-letter constraint for this answer narrows down the possibilities significantly. Common expressions of joy or excitement that fit this length include "YAY," "WOO," or "YES." Given the specifically enthusiastic nature of the clue ("great news"), YAY emerges as the most appropriate match. For conversational clues like this, try to imagine a natural dialogue. If someone told you they just got a promotion and you responded with "That's great news!", what might be another similar reaction you could have? This kind of everyday language testing can help identify the correct answer. The NYT Mini Crossword often uses colloquial expressions and modern language, making common exclamations like "YAY" perfect fits for these puzzles. When you see quotation marks in a clue, it's often a signal that the answer will be a spoken phrase or expression rather than a standard noun or verb. Remember that short answers in crosswords are often interjections, articles, or common abbreviations. For three-letter answers specifically, if the clue suggests an emotional response, think of short expressions like "YAY," "AWW," "OOH," or "WOW" that might fit the context.
Related Crossword Answers
YAY
Clue: "Woohoo!"
YAY
Clue: "Celebratory cry"
WOO
Clue: "Expression of excitement"
OOH
Clue: "Sound of amazement"
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