Mephisto 2604 by Paul McKenna – who’s the babbo?

An excellent puzzle that I failed to finish in one sitting. After an hour I had nearly all the LHS and a smattering on the RHS. I took a break and when I returned finished in another 30 minutes. Both CUTEHOOR and GENS DE PEU held me up as did WIRE INTO. I liked the use of the Italian babbo at 23A (there is of course an Italian restaurant by that name in New York to compliment the reference to Locatelli in the clue). I think this is the first time I’ve seen Fred Dibnah, the babbo of all fellers of giant chimneys, in a crossword and I’m wondering how well known he is. I would guess a bit of a cult following in the UK, mainly amongst men, but wider than that? Anyway, welcome Fred and thanks to Paul for a first class effort.

Across
1	DIGERATI – DIG-ERA-(IT reversed); the binary bits brigade;
7	CHOC – C(omfort)-HOC; this in Latin=HOC; reference female excuse for eating chocolate;
10	IN,ON – (“ignorance” minus “grace”)*; “Privy to” is the definition;
11	BUNRAKU – (NUB reversed)-RAKU; NUB-3=to hang; Japanese pottery=RAKU; Japanese puppet theatre;
12	EPISTOLET – E-PISTOLET; gold coin=PISTOLET; a short written note (see “epistle” in C);
13	BREWAGE – BRE(WAG)E; liquor in Leith=BREE; old (=obsolete) fellow=WAG; wallop=beer=BREWAGE;
15	GARRYA – GARR(e)-YA(m); garre=gar-2=cause; tuberous root=yam; a shrub;
17	KEECH – KEE(n)-CH; keen-2=a lamentation=threne (see threnody in C); child=CH; Waggledagger’s lump of fat;
19	WIRE,INTO – WIRE-I-N-TO; tip off (US slang)=WIRE; one=I; new=N; to=TO; to eat like Billy Bunter;
21	STEEPLED – STEEP(L)ED; soaked=STEEPED; reference Fred Dibnah MBE be-tiled steeplejack, blower up of large chimneys and philosopher;
23	PASTA – PA’S-T-A; babbo’s=Italian for daddy’s=PA’S; the centre of (Loca)T(elli)=T; answer=A; Locatelli is the name of a famous Italian restaurant in London to which PASTA is “central”;
24	TENDER – two meanings 1=Shakespeare for beloved; 2=a craft (boat);
27	VERVELS – VERVE-LS; dash=VERVE; in place of seal=loco sigilli=LS; rings for a hawk’s jess;
29	DISHDASHA – DISH-DASH-A; cutie=beautiful woman=DISH; tear=DASH; the Thawb, Arabian one-piece garment;
30	ACCOILS – ACC-OILS; accompanied=ACC; a rare word for reception;
31	PEAG – PE(A)G; theme=PEG; blunt=old slang for money=PEAG;
32	REND – R-END; king=rex=R;
33	TRESSURE – TRES-SURE; very=TRES; from heraldry a subordinary;
Down
1	DIEB – DIE-B; overcome by the effects of=DIE; bedbug=B Flat=B (Victorian euphemism – see first entry for “B” in C); a jackal; (the Victorians had many euphemisms, some of which survive. Today we tell children to go up the stairs to Bedfordshire. That was originally Victorian speak for sexual congress);
2	INTRANT – INT-RANT; devil-dodgers RANT; interest=INT; entering;
3	GOVERNESS – G(arter)-OVER-NESS; ended=OVER; cape=NESS; character in Thackeray’s Vanity Fair;
4	REPAY – REP-AY; reprobate=REP; always=AY; quite=old word for quit=REPAY;
5	ABIGAILS – A-BIG-AILS; acting=A; old term for a lady’s maid;
6	INTAKE – I-N(T)AKE(d); time=T; one=I; raw=naked; the new children at the start of the school year;
7	CROCEIN – C-ROC-EIN; (nice)* contains ROC; jumbo transporter=ROC; an artificial dye;
8	OKED – O-KED(dah); over=O; keddah=kheda=elephant hunt; gave the thumbs up to;
9	CUTEHOOR – C-UTE-HO-OR; caught=C; pick-up=UTE; stop=HO; Irish slang for the sort of person who makes you count your fingers after they’ve shaken your hand; see “hoor” in C; added difficulty caused by no reference to the word in C under “cute”;
14	GENS,DE,PEU – GE-(spend)*-EU; Georgia=GE; French for humble people;
15	GOSPODAR – (sag + droop)*; a Moldavian prince (see “hospodar” in C);
16	BRETESSE – B(R)ET-ESSE; a hint of rose=R; a gallery on the wall of a castle (see “brattice” in C);
18	WETSHOD – DOH-STEW all reversed; Homer Simpson’s exclamation=DOH; excitement=STEW; Poseidon=god of the sea;
20	TAEL,BAR – TAEL sounds like “tale” – BAR=bank; a measure of bullion;
22	PANDIT – P-AN-DIT; positive=P; article=AN; poem=DIT-1; originally a Hindu learned in Sanskrit but now extended to reflect excellence in other fields (rather like maestro) – Pandit Nehru and Pandit Ravi Shankar come to mind; (see “pundit” in C);
25	ERHUS – (“purchase” minus “cap”)*; Chinese stringed instrument;
26	SICE – SIC(car)-E; old firm=siccar; then limo for example=car “hides” = disappears; earl=E; a chauffer (see “syce” in C);
28	SAGE – SA(G)E; a bit of giddiness=G; in Perth therefore=SAE; the clary labiate herb;