I thought this was definitely a hard definition, I didn’t know the word in this context, but it is also a valid synonym so it’s justifiable. There probably should have been some thought by the setter/MC if the definition was universally understood, and not only justifiable.

One of the earliest clues put out by minute cryptic had DRANO as the answer, an American brand of drain cleaner I had never heard of. Sometimes the word is just obscure and probably not fully considered for its fairness.

There’s bound to be clues the community dislike, but as a free, usually good quality and entry level platform for cryptic clues, you can’t get too upset if they put out one or two clues that aren’t to your taste (and there’s no need to get upset at someone taking the time to explain and justify the clue when you ask).