Chicago trains

Latest answer — December 29, 2025

38 Across

The elevated kind that keeps Chicago moving overhead 🚆

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

NYT Crossword

This clue's Monday, December 29, 2025 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Life story, in brief
  2. 4The "S" of NASA
  3. 9Where Shrek lives
  4. 14Kerfuffle
  5. 15Outer limits
  6. 16They're contained within books
  7. 17Is severely underpaid
  8. 20Andean animal with a long neck
  9. 21Earth goddess
  10. 22Condé ___ (magazine publisher)
  11. 23"Tsk! Tsk!"
  12. 25Humorist Bombeck
  13. 27Motown or RCA
  14. 32Particular place
  15. 35Stephen of "V for Vendetta"
  16. 36Country that contains the southern slope of Mount Everest
  17. 38Chicago trains
  18. 39Seating area for 12 peers
  19. 42Piece of Grubhub info, for short
  20. 43Stringed instrument that rests on the ground
  21. 45Tin Man's need
  22. 46Like the Mariana Trench
  23. 47Works that are heard rather than read
  24. 51Sister of Meg, Jo and Amy in "Little Women"
  25. 52Gives the ax
  26. 55Soaks (up)
  27. 58Puppy sounds
  28. 61Fundamental belief
  29. 63Description for an ideal partner ... or what the ends of 17-, 27-, 39- and 47-Across create?
  30. 66Put on TV
  31. 67Molars and canines
  32. 68Signal for an actor to go onstage
  33. 69Pumpkin, e.g.
  34. 70"Alas ..."
  35. 71TV's "___ Lasso"

Down

  1. 1Cry like a baby
  2. 2Admired figures
  3. 3Battle cry of the U.S. Marine Corps
  4. 4Kind of bagel
  5. 5Many a PC file
  6. 6Really eager
  7. 7Actor Michael of "Arrested Development"
  8. 8Caught sight of
  9. 9Place to be pampered
  10. 101996 #1 hit for the Spice Girls
  11. 11Water, in Colombia
  12. 12Team that plays at Citi Field
  13. 13"Over here!"
  14. 18Onetime retail chain giant
  15. 19___ Grey tea
  16. 24Very light brown
  17. 26Tail-less cat
  18. 28Above, in poetry
  19. 29Synthetic fiber
  20. 30Fencing sword
  21. 31Not on time
  22. 32"Gimme a ___!"
  23. 33Commoner
  24. 34Norway's capital
  25. 37Two lengths of a pool
  26. 39What a punch line may end
  27. 40Part of a drill assembly or comedy routine
  28. 41"Frozen" snowman
  29. 44Seafood with claws
  30. 46Jeter in the Baseball Hall of Fame
  31. 48Rushing yards, e.g., informally
  32. 49"Well, dang it!"
  33. 50Slightly out of tune
  34. 53Put into law
  35. 54Move smoothly to another topic
  36. 55Without a date
  37. 56River past Cincinnati
  38. 57Lima's land
  39. 59Tiny canine pest
  40. 60Drove over the legal limit
  41. 62Ticked (off)
  42. 64Peculiar
  43. 65The Falcons, on a scoreboard

The answer to “Chicago trains” in the New York Times crossword is ELS — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on December 29, 2025, a Monday puzzle, at 38-Across, and it has also run on 1 earlier date with the same answer. 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.

“Chicago trains” answer

ELS (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is ELS.

Why the answer is ELS

The elevated kind that keeps Chicago moving overhead 🚆

What does ELS mean?

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

(noun)

  • (in the US) an elevated railway, especially that in Chicago

When else has “Chicago trains” appeared?

New York Times 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.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Chicago trains”?

The answer is ELS, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on December 29, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Chicago trains”?

3 letters: ELS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on December 29, 2025 (a Monday puzzle), at 38-Across. Earlier appearances: March 17, 2025 → ELS.

Can “Chicago trains” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times 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 this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for December 29, 2025 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

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

Crossword Clues

Looking up a clue? Jump into today's answers and clue help from top puzzles.