The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 plus 7 letter word PLASTIC SURGERY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
L
A
S
T
I
C
S
U
R
G
E
R
Y
More clues leading to the result PLASTIC SURGERY
- Cards offering credit lines to cover sharp rise in repair work
- The work of a features editor?
- Work on features, maybe, captures grisly changes
- Remedial treatment from clergy, as purist goes off the rails …
- What’s new, pussycat? Girl hiding ’er work?
- Work in the theatre, creating an appearance
- Making another appearance in theatre?
- Operation paid through credit card?
- Scripts are ugly, remake in the theatre
- Work on a new look — continue appearing in shot, getting good in certain lines
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "repair work" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case repair work = plastic surgery.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.