Colour above country (9)
I believe the answer is:
overstate
'colour' is the definition.
(colour can mean to overstate or distort)
'above country' is the wordplay.
'above' becomes 'over' (I've seen this before).
'country' becomes 'state' (synonyms).
'over'+'state'='OVERSTATE'
(Other definitions for overstate that I've seen before include "lay it on thick" , "Exaggerate, make too much of" , "Exaggerate, go beyond bounds of truth" .)