Brahms not having to defect? (4)
I believe the answer is:
blot
'defect?' is the definition.
(I know that blot is a type of blemish)
'brahms not having to' is the wordplay.
'brahms' becomes 'blotto' (both can informally mean drunk).
'not having' suggests deleting specific letters.
'blotto' with 'to' taken out is 'BLOT'.
(Other definitions for blot that I've seen before include "Cross out; inky mess" , "Don't do it to your copybook" , "Stain on 1 across?" , "Ink mark" , "Dark mark/stain" .)