I'm a little late on Slang-o-rama this week as my mind drew a blank. So, I finally decided draw a blank would be the bit o' slang I'd tackle this week....
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Draw a blank, or fail to find or remember something, is from the early 1800s and alludes to "drawing a lottery ticket with nothing on it (so one cannot win a prize)"—at least according to The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
American Slang, 2nd Edition (Robert L. Chapman) draws some distinctions in definition and first use, noting that to draw a blank meaning "failing completely in recall" harkens from the 1940s (!!), while tthe meaning of "get nothing, have a negative result, fail," was in use by 1825.
The Grammarist begs to differ, placing its origin back in the days of Queen Elizabeth I:
The phrase draw a blank dates back to the 16th century in Tudor England, when Queen Elizabeth first ran a lottery for the people. Names would be written on slips of paper and put into one box, and a second box would be filled with a mix of prizes and blanks. Two slips would be selected, one from each box, and you’d be paired with a prize or a blank, hence the phrase drawing a blank.
Checking The Phrase Finder, I see they agree with The Grammarist, while also expanding on this explanation.
It's still a little unclear to me as to whether one of my 19th century characters could declare they'd drawn a blank on remembering something or other. I dove into Google Ngram, but didn't see any quotes that would use the phrase in the sense of "can't recall." Oh dear! Have I used this idiom in one of my Silver Rush mysteries? I'm drawing a blank...
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2 comments:
In the context of the Old West, if someone draws a blank in a shootout, that could mean their number is up!
Ah! That makes sense! Thanks for the comment!
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