Each pair of clues yield (sometimes silly) phrases that differ only slightly: one letter is in a superposition and can't decide whether to be the last letter of the first word or the first letter of the second word:
| Clue 1 | Answer 1 | Clue 2 | Answer 2 | Letter in superposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exceptional bird | SUPERB OWL | Championship sports game | SUPER BOWL | B |
| Poetry about a large brass instrument | TUBA VERSE | Disliking of baths | TUB AVERSE | A |
| 3.26 lightyears old | PARSEC AGE | Analyze the grammar of a pet rodent's home | PARSE CAGE | C |
| Rebellious electrified water-dweller | PUNK EEL | Stabilizing component of a joke-telling boat | PUN KEEL | K |
| Spicy dish in support of freedoms | RIGHTS CURRY | A quick move away from something on your left | RIGHT SCURRY | S |
| Well-fed noble | PLUMP EARL | Purple coloured jewel from the sea | PLUM PEARL | P |
| Performance enhancing drug used in the Capitol Building | ROTUNDA STEROID | Portly solar system object | ROTUND ASTEROID | A |
| Supernatural chess piece | MAGIC ROOK | Biblically wise con artist | MAGI CROOK | C |
| Diet version of a martial art | KARATE LITE | Top-class metallurgical purity purist | KARAT ELITE | E |
These letters in superposition spell the answer BACKSPACE.