Middle-See (solution)

by Patrick Blindauer

The clues yield:

BAYER, STAT
LOOT, GAS
CHER, APT
COD, DEER

BORE, JAMES
DEION, DUCT
SIDE, RENTS

In every pair, one word can go inside the other to make another word.

BAY(STAT)ER
GA(LOOT)S
CH(APT)ER
DE(COD)ER

JAM(BORE)ES
DE(DUCT)ION
RE(SIDE)NTS

Taking the middle letter of each word (hinted by the title) give TOPO (as in Gigio, the puppet from “The Ed Sullivan Show”) and OCD. Placing one into the other gives the final answer: OCTOPOD. This step also completes the symmetry, since the insertions have been 3(4)2, 2(4)1, 2(3)2, 2(3)2, 3(4)2, 2(4)3, and 2(4)3; the only one without a partner is 2(4)1 which fits the form of OC(TOPO)D.