Marks knocked off for inferiority? (5)

I believe the answer is:

spots

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'marks knocked off for inferiority?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'marks knocked' is the wordplay.
'marks' becomes 'stops' (stop is a kind of mark).
'knocked' shows that the letters should be reversed in order (I've seen 'knocking' mean this).
'stops' in reverse letter order is 'SPOTS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for spots that I've seen before include "Result of outbreak, possibly" , "Blemishes" , "Sees" , "Picks out" , "Espies the blobs?" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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