‘istenem’? It looks as though we have a new setter with an almost symmetrical grid (I wonder how many solvers noticed that GAIJIN had a bar separating it from what might have been a final S. I imagine that ‘Gaigins’ was the original plan and that the setter realised too late that the GAIJIN plural is GAIJIN. GABNASH, at 28 down offered no alternative to the seven-letter word, so ‘Goodbye symmetry!” And why not? I suspect that it is setters and editors who are aware of it and that many solvers don’t even notice it.

The other Numpty was slotting answers into the grid full tilt to these very generous clues. Maybe being Scottish helps, as COLLIESHANGIE, EASSIL, GABNASH and SAUL all went in straight away and with LAMARCKISM gave us a fine skeleton grid. Meanwhile, I was anxiously scanning the clues to see whether this supposed newcomer can be admitted to the Elite Liatener Setters’ Oenophiles. Drugs appeared: ‘Substance skins could hold for a bomber (9)’ gave us MARIJUANA (apparently ‘skins’ is a slang word for what you put in a marijuana joint) but I was halfway down the down clues before I found, ‘We’re unfair to the old American spirits (7)’. That was hopeful, it sounded like Bourbon – but we opted for A + GEISTS, the comment of a young whippersnapper setter? Sadly no whiskey.

He redeemed himself: ‘Bellow for one’s spirit in Knockando (4)’ The ‘Bellow’ had to be Saul and Chambers confirms the Scottish spirit, so “Cheers, istenenem!”

The P of PLAINSONG and Z of ONZE added to 42 and gave us our one clash and we had been colouring extra words and had PIONEERING BLACK BASEBALL ROOKIE RETIRED JERSEY. With a full grid, we needed Wiki to explain the theme:

‘Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.’ We also learned that tomorrow, April 15th is Jackie Robinson day and that the 42 baseball Jersey is retired and not used as a number, so all that was left to do was to find that number in the grid, and, of course, the Js helped.

We were puzzled about what those six initial letters of the clues’ answers suggested: LOLRCO? That gave us COLOR* with an extra L. Wiki tells us he broke the COLOR LINE – cryptic problem solved.

Many thanks isentem for an enjoyable and informative puzzle.