What it means
To blank someone is to completely ignore them on purpose, to look right through them as if they were not even there. It is a very British way of snubbing, no shouting and no scene, just a cold nothing. You say hello and they blank you, and somehow that silence stings more than any insult would.
Usage examples
"He blanked me in the corridor again, walked straight past like I was a lamppost."
"I waved at her across the street and she totally blanked me, no idea what I have done wrong."
"I said hello but she completely blanked me."
"He blanked his old mate at the party, dead awkward."
"Saw him at the pub, nodded at him, and he just blanked me like we'd never met."
Where it comes from
This one comes straight from British English use of blank as empty, expressionless, or showing nothing. By the late 20th century, people were using blank as a verb for deliberately ignoring someone, as if you’d wiped all recognition off your face and treated them like they weren’t even there.
