Welsh rarebit cause boby, good roasted cheese." In Boorde's account, "cause boby" is the Welsh "", meaning "baked cheese", but whether it implies a recipe like Welsh rarebit is a matter of speculation. The word "rarebit" is a corruption of "rabbit", "Welsh rabbit" being first recorded in 1725 and the variant "Welsh rarebit" being first recorded in 1785 by Francis Grose. According to the "Oxford English Dictionary", 'Welsh rarebit' is an "etymologizing alteration. There is no evidence of the independent use of rarebit". The word "rarebit" has no other use than in Welsh rabbit. "Eighteenth-century English cookbooks reveal that it was then
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend Nemo", was likely exposed to "Rarebit Fiend", which appeared in "The San Francisco Examiner", which Barks read growing up. Several episodes of Barks's Donald Duck strips appear to have taken their subjects from "Rarebit Fiend". Many scenes from animated films by Tex Avery from between 1943 and 1954 are said to show clearly a "Rarebit Fiend" influence. Science fiction illustrator Frank R. Paul painted a number of pulp magazine covers influenced by "Rarebit Fiend". Art Spiegelman paid parodic homage to "Rarebit Fiend" in his 1974 strip "Real Dream". In 1991, Rick Veitch began producing short comics based on his dreams.