Put down as late (5)

I believe the answer is:

inter

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'put down' is the definition.
(interring is a kind of putting down)

'as late' is the wordplay.
'as' becomes 'in' (I've seen this in other clues).
'late' becomes 'ter' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'in'+'ter'='INTER'

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(Other definitions for inter that I've seen before include "I rent (anag.)" , "team from Italy" , "Entomb" , "set underground" , "Send to ground" .)

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

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