Crossword Genius

Cheerful, puts down in part of Scotland (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

highlands

'part of scotland' is the definition.
(as in the Scottish Highlands)

'cheerful puts down' is the wordplay.
'cheerful' becomes 'high' (I've seen this before).
'puts down' becomes 'lands' ('land' can be a synonym of 'put down').
'high'+'lands'='HIGHLANDS'

'in' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for highlands that I've seen before include "Mountainous area" , "upper part of Scotland" , "Scottish mountains" , "mountainous region" , "region of Scotland" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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