Desert strong point (5)

I believe the answer is:

merit

This clue is a double definition.

'desert' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)

'strong point' is the second definition.
(thesaurus)

(Other definitions for merit that I've seen before include "Excellence that deserves to be honoured" , "Worth; deserve" , "Earn" , "Excellence, desert" , "Rate" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.

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