Financial Times No. 14,770 by PHSSTHPOK

Barring one or two head scratchers, mostly smooth sailing today.

Especially liked INDIE, TOLLBOOTH, BOBBIN and BOTTOM. Thank you PHSSTHPOK for the fun. I’m not sure what is going on with 26ac, but trust one of you to enlighten me soon enough.

Definitions in clues marked like this

H hidden * anagram, + charade, – deletion, <= reversal, CD cryptic definition, DD double definition

ACROSS
1 In section of catacomb arch, artist sees method of visualising information (3,5) BAR CHART [H]
5 Makes sense for a religious person to drink (4,2) ADDS UP [A + religious person=DD + to drink=SUP]
10 Black fish in ice (5) BLING [Black + fish=LING]
11 8 is answer to “Timber!” (3-2-4) TWO-BY-FOUR [2×4 = 8]
12 Official is lying (9) INCUMBENT [DD]
13 One is cast in leading low-budget film (5) INDIE [IN + one is cast=DIE]
14 Thus, over most of Vietnam adopts communist system (6) SOVIET [thus=SO + VIETnam] how much is most?
15 Adept mother gets to cap graduate (7) MAHATMA [mother=MA + to cap=HAT + graduate=MA]
18 Seeing recall fade away? Just the opposite! (7) EIDETIC [recall=CITE + fade away=DIE]<=
20 Wash out empty rag during storm (6) GARGLE [storm=GALE outside RaG]
22 Saturated local network with videos centrally (5) LADEN [local network=LAN outside viDEos]
24 Sound horn hard on both sides of lines before first and fourth kiosk (9) TOLLBOOTH [sound horn=TOOT + Hard outside Line + Line + BefOre]
25 One cuts surviving gnome (6,3) COPING SAW [surviving=COPING + gnome=SAW]
26 Before I died, swallowed duck (5) EIDER [before=ERE outside I Died]? or is EER=before?
27 The German and French salt together synthesise fuel (6) DIESEL [the German=DIE + French salt=SEL]
28 Uncertainty in description of elephant’s skin? (4,4) GREY AREA [CD]

DOWN
1 No good at dancing a reel (6) BOBBIN [dancing=BOBBINg]
2 God in part of the heavens brings storm (4,5) RAIN CLOUD [god=RA + IN + part of the heavens=CLOUD]
3 Demanding effect of taking narcotics constantly? (4,11) HIGH MAINTENANCE [CD]
4 Attempt to cure again in isolation (7) RETREAT [cure again = RE TREAT]
6 Boy and girl bathe and dry kinkily leading to flagrant blackmail (8,7) DAYLIGHT ROBBERY [BOY GIRL BATHE DRY]*
7 Run down due to small infection (5) SCOLD [Small + infection=COLD]
8 Cheese off spare man (8) PARMESAN [SPARE MAN]*
9 Saw book written like Hebrew source (6) BOTTOM [saw=MOTTO + Book]<=
16 Alert Lord of Disorder to challenge (4,5) TALL ORDER [ALERT LORD]*
17 Puzzles with compiled clue come out perfectly clear (8) PELLUCID [COMPILED CLUE – COME]*
19 Cleverest copper wins trial (6) CUTEST [copper=CU + trial=TEST]
20 Recent battles took back green valley first (4,3) GULF WAR [valley=GULF + green=RAW<=]
21 Mountaineer used obscure phrase (6) SHERPA [PHRASE]*
23 “Twice” is expected to take plural (5) DUPLE [is expected=DUE outside PLural]