LONDON -- You would need confidence in your crossword skills to bury a marriage proposal to your girlfriend in a national newspaper, but one British man did, planting the unusual proposition in Monday's edition of The Times.
Matthew Dick contacted Crossword Editor Richard Rogan at the paper in London, convincing him to include his proposal his girlfriend Delyth Hughes in the clues and answers of the daily cryptic crossword, The Times reported Tuesday.
Lovely story in today @thetimes about an unusual proposal through the cryptic crossword. So original! #romantic pic.twitter.com/tFiQZw4n5g— Atelier Bride (@AtelierBride) June 17, 2015
Dick and Hughes were on holidays celebrating her birthday in Cornwall when he went out to get the paper and some breakfast. While opening her presents he solved the crossword, underlining the words "will you marry me," which was one of the clues before taking a ring out of his pocket.
“She looked so surprised and didn’t say anything for about 30 seconds, before then saying ‘No’, which she thought was hilarious. But she did then say ‘Yes’ and I had to tell her this was the real Times crossword, not something I had printed out myself,” Dick told the paper.
Hughes said this engagement story trumps them all, adding: "It’s so special and such a geeky way of doing it.”
But before other couples get any ideas, the crossword editor said this proposal was a one-off and he won't be doing it again.