What it means
Means something’s coming in ridiculously fast, usually money or profits. If a business is making money hand over fist, the takings are piling up quicker than you can count them. You can also use it for anything that’s increasing rapidly, like prices or followers. Often said with a bit of wide-eyed disbelief, because it feels almost unfair.
Usage examples
"That new food truck by Tesco’s making money hand over fist, queue round the corner, eight quid for chips and everyone’s still well up for it."
"The kebab shop next to the stadium is making money hand over fist on match days, queue down the street and the lads coming out with chips piled like a small mountain."
"My cousin started selling crochet flowers on Etsy, three months in she is shifting them hand over fist and the spare room has become a small factory of cotton and thread."
"Since that skincare girl went viral on TikTok, she's been selling those face creams hand over fist and the postie's basically part of the business now."
"They put up the rent again and the landlord's raking it in hand over fist while the rest of us are living off toast and bad vibes."
Where it comes from
It’s old nautical language. Originally it described hauling yourself or a rope along by moving one hand over the other in quick succession. That literal motion got turned into a money image by the 1700s, so if cash was coming in hand over fist, it meant it was piling up fast and steadily, no breathing space in between.
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