Crossword Genius

Numerous men put in place around the East (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

umpteen

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

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

'men put in place around the east' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'put' could be 'tee' (teeing is a kind of putting) and 'tee' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for umpteen that I've seen before include "Plentiful" , "Great in number but unspecified" , "Pet menu for a great many" , "An uncountable number" , "Indefinitely many" .)

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