Crossword Genius

Standard stain on table? (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

benchmark

'standard' is the definition.
(I know that benchmark is a type of standard)

'stain on table?' is the wordplay.
'stain' becomes 'mark' (synonyms).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'table?' becomes 'bench' (bench is a kind of table).
'mark' after 'bench' is 'BENCHMARK'.

(Another definition for benchmark that I've seen is " Reference point or standard".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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