 Re: draw a blank
The meaning is different.
1. "to draw a blank" = to be unable to do something / to be unsuccessful. It has nothing to do with memory. Here's an example of a magazine article headline :
a. Seven magnificent movies of 2014 that drew a blank at the Oscars
- in other words, which failed to win anything at the Oscars.
And from a report on the American primaries :
b. Clinton’s win, meanwhile, thwarted hopes from Sanders’ campaign for an early morale boost after the Vermont senator drew a blank in five important contests across the Midwest and the South last week.
ie Sanders was unsuccessful in five .... etc
2. "My mind is a blank / My mind went blank", on the other hand, means "I can't/couldn't remember. Eg :
a. As soon as I sat down in the exam room, my mind went blank. I couldn't remember anything I'd studied.
b. He knew he'd gone into the kitchen to get something, but he couldn't remember what it was. His mind was / had gone completely blank.
So in the sentences you quote, (1) is possible, but (2) is more likely. |