Middle-See (solution)
by Patrick Blindauer
The clues yield:
BAYER, STATLOOT, 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)ERGA(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.