Poles pay out for a flower (5)
I believe the answer is:
pansy
'flower' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'poles pay out' is the wordplay.
'poles' becomes 'NS' (north and south poles).
'out' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'ns' put into 'pay' is 'PANSY'.
'for a' is the link.
(Other definitions for pansy that I've seen before include "Bedding plant" , "Species of violet" , "Rich-coloured flower with summer and winter varieties" , "Heart's ease" , "Cultivated viola" .)