$ perl -wle 'print $fh' Name "main::fh" used only once: possible typo at -e line 1. Use of uninitialized value in print at -e line 1. $ perl -wle 'print $fh $bar' Name "main::bar" used only once: possible typo at -e line 1. Name "main::fh" used only once: possible typo at -e line 1. Can't use an undefined value as a symbol reference at -e line 1.