Just because "clean" connects to a lot of concepts doesn't mean "clean" code is meaningless, any more than clean dishes. A plate smeared with tar is not clean,

Just because "clean" connects to a lot of concepts doesn't mean "clean" code is meaningless, any more than clean dishes. A plate smeared with tar is not clean, no matter if the tar is sterile, and a plate which has been sprayed with salmonella isn't clean, even if you can't see the contaminant. These are different dimensions of "clean", but still very much meaningful. I personally like "clean" as a term for code quality. We've all seen how focusing on easily measurable metrics (like code coverage) can help, but in the hands of the saboteur or the clueless it just becomes a meaningless number. "Clean", instead, focuses on the ultimately human judgement of how to make code which is fit for purpose.