Man sneaks 'geeky' proposal into Times crossword puzzle

A London lawyer has proposed to his girlfriend using a series of cryptic clues hidden in the crossword of The Times newspaper.

Matthew Dick, 38, proposed to his girlfriend Delyth Hughes, a 39-year-old marketing executive, on her birthday while the couple was on holiday in Cornwall.

He arranged the proposal message after contacting The Times crossword editor, Richard Rogan, via Twitter.

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"I've done crosswords for a few years," said Dick. "I'm not very good at them, but they are special to me, and Delyth sometimes helps me, so I thought it would be quite romantic.

"There are certain rules you can't break or bend and the phrase 'will you marry me' couldn't be an answer, but Richard said it could be in the clues."

Among the cryptic clues were "'Will you marry me', say, that's forward also rude!", to which the answer was "proposal", and "Pretty Welsh girl widely thought not to be all there", to which the answer was "Delyth". Other answers included "Birthday" and "Matthew".

"I underlined 'Matthew' in the bottom corner and underlined 'Will you marry me' in the clue and reached into my pocket to reveal the ring," said Dick.

His girlfriend jokingly declined at first, but said yes after a pause. Dick also had to explain that it was an actual copy of The Times, and not something he had simply printed out.

Hughes told newspaper: "I was dumbfounded that he'd gone to such lengths. It was also bloody typical as he's a smart-arse at the best of times. I was getting a bit teary and emotional, even if I did joke that I wouldn't marry him."

She added: "It's so special and such a geeky way of doing it."

Rogan, who has compiled Times crosswords for 12 years, believed this to be a first for the newspaper, but in anticipation of future propositions, wanted to clarify that it would also be the last. "We won't be doing it again," he said.