Break up civil riot expressing considerable bitterness (9)
I believe the answer is:
vitriolic
'expressing considerable bitterness' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'break up civil riot' is the wordplay.
'break up' indicates an anagram.
'civil'+'riot'='civilriot'
'civilriot' with letters rearranged gives 'VITRIOLIC'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for vitriolic that I've seen before include "Cruelly savage (criticism)" , "Acrimonious" , "Highly corrosive" , "biting" , "Scathing" .)