draw a blank

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

to fail to remember something; to be unable to recall information that one expects to know; also used more broadly to mean getting no useful result from an attempt

History and origin

English — from lottery terminology; a 'blank' was a losing lottery ticket; drawing a blank meant getting nothing; later extended to memory failures

Examples

• I drew a blank when asked for his phone number, even though I call it every week.
• We searched the archive all day but drew a blank.