Workmate's getting rid of wart with cure (5)

I believe the answer is:

smoke

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'cure' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

I can't explain the rest of the clue.

(Other definitions for smoke that I've seen before include "Cure (eg, herring)" , "Use tobacco" , "Product of combustion" , "Emit fumes" , "cause of a cough?" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times (Crosaire) and the Irish Times.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app