Crossword Genius

Cat's coat in far from smooth condition (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

staccato

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

'smooth condition' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?

'cat's coat in far' is the wordplay.
'cat's coat' can be anagrammed to 'STACCATO'.
However, I am unsure how the anagram is indicated.

'from' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for staccato that I've seen before include "Disconnected, like musical notes say" , "Toccatas in sharp disconnected manner" , "Disjointed, not smooth and flowing" , "disconnectedly" , "Way to play" .)

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