draw a blank
/ˌdrɔːr ə ˈblæŋk/INFORMAL · C1
Meaning
to fail to remember something or find an answer
Examples
- 1I recognised his face, but when I tried to remember his name, I drew a blank.
- 2The police have drawn a blank in their search for the stolen painting.
- 3When the examiner asked for the capital of Australia, I drew a blank and guessed Sydney.
- 4We searched every website for a cheaper flight, but drew a blank and paid the full price.
- 5If you draw a blank on a question, move on and come back to it at the end of the exam.
Grammar
draw changes: draws, drawing, drew, drawn. Keep a blank singular.
Similar in meaning
More idioms about education
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →a school of thoughta set of ideas or beliefs shared by a group of peoplein a class of your ownmuch better than everyone else at somethingput your thinking cap onto concentrate hard on how to solve a problemplay truantto stay away from school without permissiona mine of informationa person who knows a lot of useful factsthe school of hard knockslearning from difficult experiences in life rather than from lessons
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
Here you get a couple of questions. The app gives you 16 practice modes, native equivalents and spaced repetition that tells you when it’s time to refresh.
