Crossword Genius

Smart girl that is after a share of the proceeds (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cutie

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

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

'that is after a share of the proceeds' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'share' could be 'cut' (cut is a kind of share) and 'cut' is present in the answer.
'that is' could be 'ie' (abbreviation for id est, 'that is' in Latin) and 'ie' is found within the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cutie that I've seen before include "Smasher" , "lovely" , "Dish" , "an attractive thing" , "considered by most to be attractive" .)

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