draw a blank
To fail to find or remember something

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

draw a blank
1.
to be unable to get information.
Hoover asked the investigators to find out about Byrne, but they drew a blank.

2.
to forget something.
When Phil asked Lee which airline they were flying on, Lee drew a blank.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

draw a blank
1. get no response from someone when you ask them a question
The teacher drew a blank when she asked about the boy's plans for the weekend.

2. to get no response to something, to get a negative result
The manager drew a blank when he went to the head office to get information about the merger.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

draw a blank
v. phr., informal
1. To obtain nothing in return for an effort made or to get a negative result.
I looked up all the Joneses in the telephone book but I drew a blank every time I asked for Archibald Jones.
2. To fail to remember something.
I am trying to think of the name but I keep drawing a blank.
3. To be consistently unsuccessful at doing something.
I keep trying to pass that math exam but each time I try it I draw a blank.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲