What it means
When something flies off the shelves, it sells ridiculously fast. Shops barely get it out front before people snap it up and leave the place looking picked clean. You use it for books, tickets, trainers, gadgets, anything that suddenly turns into the hot item everyone wants right now.
Usage examples
"The signed copies flew off the shelves, the queue went right round the block."
"As soon as it went viral, the gadget flew off the shelves and was sold out everywhere by lunchtime."
"The limited-edition trainers flew off the shelves in an hour."
"Once it went viral, the book flew off the shelves everywhere."
"Those concert tees flew off the shelves so fast they had to put a limit on how many you could buy."
Where it comes from
Pictures products selling so fast they seem to leap from the shelves on their own, leaving bare gaps in their wake. The faster the rush, the emptier the shop.
Other ways to say it
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