Weekend Quick Cryptic 69 - Solution

My fellow TimesforTheTimes contributors Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce Quick Cryptic crosswords to fill the gap left by the Saturday Times not having one. The plan is for us to take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Phil's turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below. Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on TfTT. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here.

Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.

Hints...

Some hints and tips:

• The fish at 18A is commonly found in rollmops.
• Seurat was a pointillist.
• The old car marque was rebranded as Triumph in 1959.

And click on this label to get the solution.

Solution and explanation of the answers...

Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc,  {deletions} and [] other indicators.

Across
7 Begin with top rated solicitor (5,3)
START OUT – STAR (top rated) TOUT (solicitor).
8 Parasite to mark correctly (4)
TICK – Double definition.
9 French city drives one mad (6)
ANGERS – Double definition.
10 Earlier religious leader (5)
PRIOR – Double definition. Our third in a row!
11 I say nothing (3)
EGO – E.G. (for example; say) O (nothing).
12 Crazy German used to feed livestock (6)
MANGER – [Crazy] (German)*.
14 Agent unprofessional to try again? (6)
REPLAY – REP (agent) LAY (“unprofessional”; non-professional). The ? indicates cryptic nature of the wordplay.
16 Turn away catching start of dodgy publicity (6)
ADVERT – AVERT (turn away) [catching] [start of] D{odgy}.
18 Leaderless fish going astray (6)
ERRING – [Leaderless] {h}ERRING (fish).
19 Become unwell in Versailles (3)
AIL – Hidden in, [in], VersAILles.
20 Eccentric, like a Seurat painting (5)
DOTTY – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint.
21 Last to finish on river (6)
ENDURE – END (finish) URE (river).
23 Prophet almost made one scared at first (4)
AMOS – Almost Made One Scared [at first].
24 Bat first - target is one that shouldn't be missed (4,4)
OPEN GOAL – OPEN (bat first) GOAL (target).
 
Down
1 The usual old car (8)
STANDARD – Double definition. Standard cars were rebranded as Triumphs in 1959.
2 Cheese that is found after beer is drained (4)
BRIE – Outside letters of BeeR [drained] I.E. (that is).
3 Missouri drug addict - Tom? (6)
MOUSER – MO (Missouri) USER (drug addict). Tom as in cat.
4 Drunken Proust in a semi-conscious state (6)
STUPOR – (Proust)* [drunken].
5 "Saint Jack", the revealing entertainer (8)
STRIPPER – ST (saint) RIPPER (Jack the).
6 Cliff's award cut by 20% (4)
SCAR – {o}SCAR (award) without 1/5 of its letters [cut by 20%].
13 Muhammed Ali in terrible rage before match? (8)
GREATEST – [terrible] (rage)* TEST (match). Or so he claimed, hence the ?.
15 Unusual sort of moral ban (8)
ABNORMAL – [sort of] (moral ban)*.
17 Elizabeth begins taming unruly royal (6)
TAYLOR – [begins] T{aming} [unruly] (royal)*.
18 Prime sports team (6)t
ELEVEN – Double definition.
20 For a kick off, don't use my bathroom - that's stupid! (4)
DUMB – Initial letters, [for a kick off], of Don’t Use My Bathroom.
22 Really appreciates lodgings (4)
DIGS – Double definition.