[fface]

Hi,

What's the difference between 'draw a blank' and 'one's mind is a blank'? For example:

1. I tried to remember where I put my wallet, but I drew a blank.

2. I tried to remember where I put my wallet, but my mind is a blank.

Thank you!

[susan53]

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.

[fface]

Hi susan,

"I tried to remember where I put my wallet, but I drew a blank."

Does the sentence mean I can't remember where I put my wallet?
If yes, I think it has the same meaning as the example 2 I gave above. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thank you very much.

[susan53]

No - as I said : it means "but I wasn't able to ".
in this case it comes out as the same which is why both are possible. In your sentence it means I wasn't able to remember - but that's because of the context, because of what was said before - I tried to remember..... Consider:
I tried to find John's skype address but I drew a blank.
in that context it would mean : I wasn't able to find John's skype address. .
The expression itself has nothing to do with memory

[fface]

Hi susan,
Thank you very much for your helpful answer.

[fface]

Quote susan53

No - as I said : it means "but I wasn't able to ".
in this case it comes out as the same which is why both are possible.

Hi susan,

Thank you for your helpful answer. I know the two expressions don't mean the same. Do you mean the two sentences can mean the same thing because of the context?

[susan53]

Not that the phrases "mean the same thing" but that the co-text means that the full sentences end up meaning the same thing. As I said, change the verb in the first part and you change the meaning of the full sentence. But the meaning of the individual phrases remains the same : 1. I wasn't successful 2. I couldn't remember.

Another example :

The police had been investigating the murder for 6 months, but so far had drawn a blank.

Again, nothing to do with memory.