Cat's coat in far from smooth condition (8)
I believe the answer is:
staccato
'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" .)