farl as explained by Ayto (1993), ‘is a thin usually triangular cake made of oatmeal or wheat flour. Its name reflects its shape: for originally it was fardel, literally “fourth part”, from ferde, “fourth” and del, “deal, part”. As the oatmeal hints, it comes from Scotland (“an farls bak’d wi’ butter”, Robert Burns, Holy Fair, 1787).’
© the Estate of Alan Davidson 1999, 2006, 2014 © in the Editor’s contribution to the second and third editions, Oxford University Press 2006, 2014.