Word of the Day: "Engaged"

I know I am right to say that the English language is beautiful in both its written and spoken form. But somehow, like a 100% perfect woman you have passed by on Orchard road, you know she has to have some flaws; if not she would not be shopping alone on a cool Saturday afternoon, if not I would not be leering at her openly ( I have checked; her boyfriend wasn't around). And like the forever-pampered lady, the Queen's English is all "temperamental". There is no fairness and truth, no rationale, just her rules - I am sure you know what I mean.

Well, just in case...the word "row" as a verb in the sentence, "She rowed across the river", describes the action of moving a boat on water. But as a noun, it can mean a line of things or people next to each other (as defined by LONGMAN). HELLO!!...am I missing something?? And as if it is not confusing enough, it also qualified as "a short angry argument..." So a 100% perfect woman may get to row across Singapore River in a row with other rowers after a row with her boyfriend on a cool Saturday afternoon. And what has a "rock" (you know, the big stone?) got to do with "rock 'n' roll"?? I have no clue. Perhaps the concert-goers in the 50s threw rock at Elvis and rolled on the floor to the music (don't ask me, I wasn't there - say, shouldn't it be "weren't" instead?). Oh, wait, wait, just maybe the 100% perfect woman is also a rock-chick...Oh, never mind...

Ok, enough said about the 100% perfect woman. Focus, man, focus... The word "engaged (adj) "amused me somehow. LONGMAN read it firstly as "if two people are engaged, they have agreed to marry" An example is given as "She is engaged to be married" or "Sally and Ray are getting engaged". At first, I thought, "Wow! That was beautiful...” Two person who "become involved in an activity"(that is what "engage" as a verb means) become "engaged". Don't get me wrong, I think it is beautiful not because a couple engaged in sex, but because they are involved and in love with each other's life. How sweet, I thought, there is a connection of two lives here, where two life paths have entwined into one.

Then, the slap on my face comes. For some reason (sorry, I forgot, no reason is needed), the second meaning goes like this: "If you call someone on the telephone and their line is engaged, they are already speaking to someone else." THEIR LINE IS ENGAGED!! Oh, how unromantic! I presumed the "line" here means the phone line? Two parties engaged on the phone line - how insignificant an act, how inconsequential, how...mechanical? You hear an electronic ring (not a wedding or engagement ring, mind you, there is no need to get overexcited), lift up what is part of a machine called phone, say "Hello?" and you are engaged! Congratulation!

PS: Try this: "Sally and Ray are getting engaged on the phone" Whatever that means...