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Don't draw a blank on these English expressions.
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With your American hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
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Do you ever get a question where you do know the answer, but you just can't think of it in that moment?
Today, get new ways to articulate this experience for more human connection in English.
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Hey there, Michelle.
How's it going today?
Hey, Lindsay.
Good, good.
How are you?
I'm feeling great.
Do you have a question to start off the show today?
I do.
Do you ever forget something and get frustrated because it's something you should remember?
Oh, for sure.
It happens.
It happens.
The older I get, the more it happens.
What about you?
Does that happen to you?
Of course.
Just the other day I couldn't remember something and I was sitting on the couch like I can't get it.
But...
It does get frustrating.
So we are going to talk about that today because we have a question from a listener about really useful expression for when this happens, when we have those moments where it's not just not quite coming to the brain.
It happens to all of us.
This is a human.
These are the topics that I love to explore with our audience, our listeners, because this is a very human thing.
Things go blank, right?
So can I go ahead and read the question from our listener?
Please.
Yes.
Okay.
Here we go.
So this is from Velcon Belmont.
And they said sometimes people ask you a question you don't expect and you don't know how to answer it.
Is I drew a blank expression, an expression I can use in this case.
And what about to throw someone a curve ball?
Thank you, girls.
Oh, lovely question.
I love it.
Yes, very good.
Very specific.
So yeah, to draw a blank.
Before we get into it, we want to redirect you if you would like to listen.
We have an awesome episode on the Business English podcast is can you say good when you agree in English?
Yeah.
Go over on and check out that episode guys.
Can you say good when you agree in English?
That was business English two Oh two.
If you are not following the business English podcast, you should be right.
We publish three days a week over there.
So go open up your search bar, find business English and hit follow.
All right, Michelle, let's get right into it.
Okay.
So Lindsay, what does it mean to draw a blank?
All right.
So it basically means that something can't be remembered.
All of a sudden it's gone.
Poof.
Just escaped from your brain.
You can't, you're trying to get it back.
Lindsay, what do you think it's frequently used for?
What are some things that I think people frequently might forget?
For sure.
Names.
Oh my gosh, it happens all the time.
You knew the name and all of a sudden you forgot it.
Dates, it can happen.
Or other random pieces of information.
Maybe names of restaurants.
Things like that.
Ah, yes.
Right, yeah.
It's usually the name of something.
That's what I think.
But of course it could be anything.
But we often hear it said like this.
I'm drawing a blank.
I think it's usually said in the moment.
Right?
So that's why you would have the ING.
Yes, you might be telling a story about it and you could say oh, I drew a blank, but.
But I feel like this is a frequent way that it's used in the moment.
I'm drawing a blank.
What do you think?
I agree.
I agree with you, Michelle.
It's much more of an in the moment expression.
On this show, we show you expressions that can be used to recount things that happened before.
But this isn't really one of them.
Don't you agree?
This is an in the moment phrase when you just can't get it.
You can't pull it up out of your brain.
Yes, yes, exactly.
So let's do some examples.
I'm meeting with her Sunday at.
What's that restaurant's name?
I'm drawing a blank.
All right perfect, that's one, write these down.
Guys, go ahead and write them down.
Here's the next.
I'm drawing a blank.
What's your son's name?
Again okay, that happens to me a lot.
I feel that i say this kind of frequently because i meet a lot of moms, a lot of kids, and i'll forget, and i think it just is normal.
Everybody forgets everybody think, realizes that you meet someone the first time, especially when your kids are around, and you say the name, but you're probably going to have to ask again.
Oh, it's so bad.
I'm so bad at paying.
For some reason, my mind stops listening sometimes when I ask for the name.
I don't know why that happens, but it happens and it's such a bad habit.
And then I'll have to ask inevitably a second time.
Right.
It's not good.
You have to drop that habit.
I think we've actually done an episode about that before.
So I'm not sure the number, but yeah, exactly.
It's it, it happens.
That's okay.
Yeah.
So Lindsay, you had a question.
What about at work?
Can we use this at work?
What do you think?
We talk a lot about how, when you're at work, we can be formal, informal and semi-formal.
We above all, we want to be a human being, right?
Yeah.
Right.
Um, I think that you can use this at work.
I think if you use it all the time, people might start to wonder if everything's okay or if you're not on top of things.
I think using it about something benign like a restaurant's name is fine.
But if you are coming about policies or certain ways things are done, I'm drawing a blank.
I'm drawing a blank all the time.
Not good.
Not good.
Not good, or they might think you don't have the resources or know where to find that information, but generally, if you're talking about things outside of work, that's a better way to use.
I'm drawing a blank, and often we have these conversations in the break room or over a business lunch.
Totally legitimate right, michelle?
Yes okay, michelle.
So what about?
Our listener also asked our listener velcon, also asked, about throwing a curveball, right?
I just want to touch on this a little bit.
So I was thinking about it and it does kind of relate, because if you throw someone a curveball, you ask them something or do something that surprises them, which can cause them to draw a blank.
So they are connected.
And I think that that's good that the listener asked about both of these, because I'm just looking over the question again.
It says, sometimes people ask you a question you don't expect.
And you don't know how to answer it.
So, in my opinion, if somebody throws you a curve ball, you are, you have the potential to draw a blank.
It connects in that way.
I completely agree with you, Michelle.
They, they play together.
I'm drawing a blank.
You threw me a curve ball here.
I'm drawing a blank.
Give me a second to come up with the answer.
Right.
Totally common phrase.
It makes total sense.
Yes.
Right.
And this is something I was thinking about on our episode.
Sometimes we ask each other questions on the show.
Sure.
Maybe we're asking for a story.
So it's not only necessarily names of something, but I'm thinking of what we talk about on the show.
If we say, oh, oh, do you have any experience with that or a conversation question?
And then sometimes we'll say, I'm drawing a blank.
I can't think of it in the moment.
Right.
And it's even worse when you know that there is something but you can't for some reason come up with it in that moment spontaneously.
Would you say that you're good thinking off the top of your head, Michelle?
Just kidding.
That was a joke.
Am I good thinking off the top of my head?
I think so.
I used to do improv.
Did you?
Did you do that in New York?
In New York?
I did.
I did.
When I first moved to New York, I was a part of an improv meetup.
And I got to meet a lot of really neat people.
And it was fun.
So I like improv.
I do like, I think you and I have to be good at thinking off the top of our heads.
Otherwise, we couldn't do the show.
I agree.
And I imagine probably when you did improv, there were certain techniques that you learned.
I wonder if those would be useful.
Maybe we should do an episode in the future on techniques that you learned in improv for listeners to get better at speaking spontaneously.
I actually love that idea.
Yeah, I have to go back.
See, right now, if you were going to ask me about some activities, I would say...
I'm drawing a blank.
It's been a while.
I'd have to kind of do some Googling.
Remember what I used to do.
I can remember some activities, some exercises.
So, but that would, that would definitely be fun.
But guys, we can do another episode about throwing a curve ball more specifically and improv.
I mean, that ties into baseball too, right?
Throwing a curveball.
It's where baseball comes into English.
So guys, hit follow.
Look for that episode coming up another time.
Good stuff.
Are there other things we could say if we don't want to always say I'm drawing a blank, if it happens to us a lot?
What else could we say, Michelle?
Definitely.
So one thing is just this is very direct, basic.
I can't think of it right now.
And that's used.
Oh, I can't think of it right now.
Oh right, sometimes that's what comes out of our mouth and it's very, very clear.
This is very descriptive, right?
I can't think of it right now.
Or it's on the tip of my tongue.
I like this one.
It's kind of an idiom, but I use it a lot.
I think we use this a ton in English.
Definitely, it's on the tip of my tongue, it just.
It gives an image.
Yeah, or or it's right on the tip of my tongue.
It's right on the tip of my tongue.
Guys, that's a good opportunity for pronunciation.
I also would say, if you're not listening to IELTS Energy and you're taking the IELTS exam, this would be a really interesting thing to put into your speaking test.
You'd actually score pronunciation points if you used the opportunity to really enunciate, and vocabulary points.
So go over and listen to our IELTS Energy podcast if you're not listening to that.
But that's a winner for the IELTS exam.
Love that.
Yeah, that's a great idea, Lindsay.
So before we get into a role play, we are going to give you some Spotify key poll results.
Guys, we are having so much fun doing these key polls on Spotify.
If you listen on Spotify, you are able to answer polls online for the episodes, and we also do one episode in general where we then announce the results.
So we want to hear what you have to say and we will share the results with you.
So today is a results day, All right.
And in this key poll, we asked our listeners, are you tech savvy?
This was from episode 2139.
Take a stab at these English phrases.
We wanted to know, are you tech savvy?
Yes or no.
What was the result, Michelle?
What did we learn about our audience?
Well, we learned that it's almost half and half.
So yes, tech savvy listeners, 46% of you said you were tech savvy and 54% said no.
So almost equal not quite more more of you not so much it's a hard question to answer because it's all relative like the other day i we hired a contractor to work on my dad's house and it turned out in that scenario i was tech savvy because i was the only one that knew how to do a three-way call so i had to get both of them my dad and our contractor onto that three-way call right um but then in another scenario when it comes to developing an app i'm not tech savvy at all so it's kind of a relative concept tech savvy that's that's very funny it's true in certain situations you're i'm probably the same way it depends who you're with really does and sometimes it can be really fun so yeah that's good to know we're about half and half leaning slightly in the direction of no but I think we're all gonna have to up our game when it comes to technology as AI starts to enter our world right Michelle don't you think right that's yes that's the scary part all right well for now though let's just do a role play because we love these role plays here what's going on what's happening okay here we are friends at lunch or going to lunch.
Yeah.
Love that scenario.
Love it.
All right.
All right.
So where should we go?
Um, that place on third, there's a place on third.
Yeah.
Uh, I'm drawing a blank.
Oh, the one that has the blue roof.
Yes.
Oh, what is it called?
It's on the tip of my tongue.
I can't think of it right now.
Oh, Priscilla's.
Yes.
That's the one.
Michelle, what is that dish they serve that you love?
Oh man, you threw me a curve ball.
Let's just go and see.
Sounds good.
Nice.
Nice.
Nice.
Do you like to go out sometimes in New York, Michelle, and explore new restaurants these days?
Do you ever get a chance to do that?
Yes.
As much as I possibly can.
I mean, not all the time, but I like, yes, of course.
Yeah.
I was watching a documentary over the weekend about, um, plant-based eating.
And I was learning about 11 Madison park.
You know that restaurant that won like the.
It was considered the best restaurant in the world.
I think in one like in the last couple of years.
And then all of a sudden this chef is incredible.
He decided they had won three Michelin stars.
They were the best restaurant in the world.
And then he said, Nope, we're going plant-based now.
So they remade the entire menu and other and And, now trying to stay relevant in the plant-based world.
I just thought it was a very gutsy move once you're on top to go and change the game entirely.
I think there's a lot to learn from that.
So I was wondering if you've ever eaten there.
I've never been there.
What's it called again?
11 Madison Park, I believe.
11, I'm going to look it up.
It's fancy, but it sounds like it's really good.
And now plant-based.
So super interesting.
Anyways, we'll talk about that another day.
Let's get back to our role play here.
So Michelle, you said, ah, I'm drawing a blank.
I asked you, there's a place on third and you said, yes, ah, I'm drawing a blank.
Okay.
Yep.
So we're trying to figure out the name and you figured out one part.
You're the one with the blue roof.
And so then you said, what's it called?
It's on the tip of my tongue.
So it means you feel that you have it.
Don't you hate that moment though Lindsay, when you feel you have it and then you figure out what it was, or you had to look it up, and you feel ah, I knew that.
I hate that too.
And it's a little bit different, right?
These expressions are slightly different.
I'm drawing a blank.
And it's maybe you don't have it at all.
It's nowhere in your head.
I'm drawing a blank versus it's on the tip of my tongue.
It's so close.
It's like, you could bring that up in your mind, but you can't quite get it.
Can't quite the neurons aren't quite firing.
Right.
In the way you need them to.
Yeah.
Right.
Drawing a blank is slightly more diverse.
I, I believe because it's also for, if you just can't think of an answer, it's not just, oh yeah.
I agree with you is basically what I'm saying.
Fair enough.
Fair enough.
And then so I said, well, it's on the tip of my tongue.
And you said, oh, I can't think of it right now.
And that is the straightforward thing you could say.
Right.
Also, very, very, very much like drawing a blank.
Yes, exactly.
And then you asked me a more specific question about a dish that I love.
And I said, oh, man, you threw me a curveball.
So maybe, maybe i like a lot of dishes.
I can't think of it right now and i say oh, come on, we just figured out the name of the restaurant.
No more questions.
For sure, for sure, and we'll come back to that expression.
We'll have to do another episode on baseball phrases.
Like i said before michelle, what's the takeaway for our listeners?
These two expressions threw me a curveball and drawing a blank.
They are situationally related, right.
Yes.
Yes, exactly.
So if you throw someone a curveball, you might make them draw a blank.
Exactly.
You can almost think of it as a cause and effect situation.
And I think the takeaway in terms of connection, guys, today is that this is a very human thing.
Most of us in the entire world could say that we've had this experience at least once in the last month.
Right, it's not about intelligence, it's not about cognitive abilities, it's about being a human being and have and especially nowadays michelle, we have so much going on.
I mean, right now, i have four browsers open, four windows open.
Before we got on, i had 20.
Right, there's so much happening in our lives.
How could we not be drawing a blank?
So having right something to say when that happens connects you to someone, right?
Yeah, It does.
It does.
Exactly.
It's a human.
It's a human, not emotion, but it's a human experience.
It's a human experience.
So the more of these that we can find and put words to these moments, the closer we're going to feel to people, which is what we all want.
Is that human connection?
So guys, if you love this show, hit follow right here.
And Michelle, thanks for hanging out with me today.
All right.
Thanks.
And thanks to our listener for that great question.
Talk soon.
Bye.
Bye.
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