Dictionary

sell like hot cakes en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

After the proverbial popularity of pancakes in 19th-century America.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To be sold quickly in large numbers or amounts.
   • You're living in a disco / Forget about the rat race / Let's do the Milkshake / Selling like a hotcake 1979, Robin Scott, “Pop Muzik”:
   • During a power outage, candles sell like hot cakes.
   • Geffen employees confirm that about half of the initial run of forty-six thousand [copies of Nevermind] went to the Northwest, where it sold like hot cakes. 2003, Jim Berkenstadt, Charles R. Cross, Nevermind: Nirvana:
   • CALENDARS featuring local men willing to get their kit off for charity are selling like hot cakes after hitting the market this week. 2009 November 27, “Calendar boys get their tops off”, in John o'Groat Journal:
   • I sold 12 trout specials yesterday, they sold like hot cakes. 2012, Cosmo Knight, The Day After the Great Trout Run:
   • These units will sell like hot cakes for $400000 apiece. Our cost will be $250000. It's a regular gold mine. 2005, G. Timothy Haight, Daniel Singer, The real estate investment handbook:

Forms

Deriveds

like hot cakes

Relateds

fly off the shelves

Translations (34)

th ขายดิบขายดี (sell quickly) · es vender como churros (sell quickly) · sv sälja som smör i solsken (sell quickly) · fi käydä kaupaksi (sell quickly) · sv sälja som smör (sell quickly) · tr peynir ekmek gibi satılmak (sell quickly) · pl sprzedać się jak świeże bułeczki (sell quickly) · th เทน้ำเทท่า (sell quickly) · ro a se vinde ca pâinea caldă (sell quickly) · cmn 大賣 /大卖 (sell quickly) · is renna út (sell quickly) · cs jít na dračku (sell quickly) · fi mennä kaupaksi (sell quickly) · cmn 暢銷 /畅销 (sell quickly) · pl sprzedawać się jak świeże bułeczki (sell quickly) · cmn 熱銷 /热销 (sell quickly) · ja 飛ぶように売れる (sell quickly) · ko 불티나게 팔리다 (sell quickly) · hu veszik, mint a cukrot (sell quickly) · hu viszik, mint a cukrot (sell quickly) · is seljast eins og heitar lummur (sell quickly) · no selge som varmt hvetebrød (sell quickly) · fi mennä kuin kuumille kiville (sell quickly) · fr se vendre comme des petits pains (sell quickly) · es vender como rosquillas (sell quickly) · it andare a ruba (sell quickly) · fi tehdä kauppansa (sell quickly) · nl verkopen als zoete broodjes (sell quickly) · pt vender que nem pãezinhos quentes (sell quickly) · hu elkapkodják (sell quickly) · de weggehen wie warme Semmeln (sell quickly) · vi bán chạy như tôm tươi (sell quickly) · is fljúga út (sell quickly) · no selge som hakka møkk (sell quickly)