Back in the dark ages - you know, a decade or two ago - if you didn't hear from a guy, you just told yourself he probably tried, but the line was busy. But now between texting and Twitter (and a million other ways in between), there are just so many ways for a guy to not call you.

Here are some of the sneaky ways he's avoiding you.

Voicemail Vacuum

The invention of caller ID was a major milestone in male elusiveness. How can you tell if you're being avoided or if your date is truly busy? Decode the rings: the phone rings several times unanswered? He's away from his phone. No ring? Phone is off. Two rings and then voicemail? He checked the ID and actively chose to ignore your call. True, he might've had a perfectly good reason to send you straight to voicemail. But if it happens more than a few times, you'd better move on.

The Technical Difficulties

He would've gotten back to you, but he dropped his Droid/couldn't get service/had this crazy problem with billing that resulted in them suspending his service. Man, it really sucks that he missed your call/never got that text/lost your e-mail in his spam filter. Thing is, technology is pretty reliable. And "the dog ate your e-mail" excuse is pretty flimsy.

The Blame Game

You know an excuse when you hear one. "Oh, my roommate never told me that you dropped by!" or "Gee, I can't believe I haven't gotten back to you. Work is just really crazy right now." The truly bold - and those not afraid to tempt fate - might even fib about a family emergency, sudden gastrointestinal troubles or vague illnesses. Plausible maybe, but unless he's firm about making it up to you, leave him to his fiction writing career.

Pencil It In

If he can't totally avoid you - or at least your presence on his Facebook feed - he might try to trick you with a fake-out plan. He'll sell you with a promise - "Let's get together later this week..." - but never comes through on the confirmation. This dodge is easily recognizable by how vague it is. Witness: "Oh, someone I know at work might be having a party Saturday. I'll call you." or "Let's touch base later in the week when I know what's going, okay?" When you tell him of your plans, he'll often promise to meet up with you there later...and never show.