Felines return, about to make sharp, short, separate sounds (8)
I believe the answer is:
staccato
'felines return about to make sharp short separate sounds' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'felines return about to' is the wordplay.
'felines' becomes 'cats' (cat is a kind of feline).
'return' says the letters should be written backwards.
'about' becomes 'ca' (short for circa).
'cats' written backwards gives 'stac'.
'stac'+'ca'+'to'='STACCATO'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for staccato that I've seen before include "With each note sharply separated from the others" , "Separating the notes, in music" , "With sharply-detached notes" , "With sharply detached sounds (music)" , "instruction to musicians" .)