sell like hot cakes
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Be sold quickly and in large quantities.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
T - shirts and posters are selling like hot cakes, and books, stickers, videos and even a monthly magazine are on the way.
THE Osaka, the fashionable Japanese strain of ornamental cabbage, ‘ is selling like hot cakes,’ a London florist says.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Simile (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Equivalents & related
Near equivalent
bán chạy như tôm tươi
to sell like hot cakes
Tiếng Việt
Near equivalent
save the day
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
English · via bán chạy như tôm tươi
Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.
Common questions
What does “sell like hot cakes” mean?
Be sold quickly and in large quantities.
Is “sell like hot cakes” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“bán chạy như tôm tươi” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.