verb phrase🎓 English idiom

sell like hotcakes

to sell very quickly

What it means

To sell very quickly and in large quantities. It describes a product that is so popular that stock disappears almost as fast as it appears.

Examples

  • The new phone is selling like hotcakes; they sold out in two hours.
  • Once the singer mentioned the book, it started selling like hotcakes.
  • Tickets for the final are selling like hotcakes despite the high prices.
  • Her homemade jam sold like hotcakes at the village fair.

Where it comes from

Hotcakes, an old American term for griddle cakes or pancakes, were a popular fast-selling treat at fairs and events in the 1800s, giving rise to this comparison.

Related idioms

#a dime a dozen#the best thing since sliced bread#jump on the bandwagon#cut the mustard

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