Paid to repair a red sail (8)
I believe the answer is:
salaried
'paid' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'repair a red sail' is the wordplay.
'repair' is an anagram indicator (letters are fixed or repaired).
'a'+'red'+'sail'='aredsail'
'aredsail' anagrammed gives 'SALARIED'.
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for salaried that I've seen before include "Paid regularly" , "Paid monthly for work" , "Earning a living" .)