Easily provoked, slice a rib in pieces (9)
I believe the answer is:
irascible
'easily provoked' is the definition.
The answer and definition are not the same part of speech. However, past participle verbs and adjectives can occasionally mean the same thing.
'slice a rib in pieces' is the wordplay.
'in pieces' is an anagram indicator.
'slice'+'a'+'rib'='slicearib'
'slicearib' with letters rearranged gives 'IRASCIBLE'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for irascible that I've seen before include "Trigger-happy" , "testy" , "easily upset" , "Grouchy" , "Crabbed" .)