What it means
It means something's selling insanely fast. The second it goes up, people pile in and it's basically gone before you've had time to blink. You'd use it for tickets, trainers, gadgets, bakes, whatever's getting snapped up at a mad pace.
Usage examples
"We put the gig tickets online at nine, and by ten they’d sold like hot cakes, even my mate Dave who never leaves the sofa grabbed two."
"The new trainers sold like hot cakes, gone within an hour of the doors opening."
"Her homemade jam sells like hot cakes at the village fair every year."
"That limited drop sold like hot cakes, mate. I checked again after lunch and the site was basically wiped clean."
"Mum put the fundraiser brownies on the table and they went like hot cakes before I even got near the tray."
Where it comes from
This one's been around in American English since the 19th century. Hot cakes were fresh griddle cakes sold at fairs, markets, and church events, and they tended to disappear fast while they were still warm. That made them the perfect picture for anything that sells out in a flash.
Other ways to say it
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