Ill-tempered promise — this?! (9)
I believe the answer is:
crossword
'this?' is the definition.
(the crossword currently being solved is an example)
'ill-tempered promise' is the wordplay.
'ill-tempered' becomes 'cross' (synonyms).
'promise' becomes 'word' (as in 'I give you my word').
'cross'+'word'='CROSSWORD'
(Other definitions for crossword that I've seen before include "that should make you think" , "One of these, first published December 1913 ..." , "Letter puzzle" , "See 8, 20 ac, 1, 15 dn" , "Puzzle (for the intelligent)" .)