Did you forget to splain/diagnostics ?

#!/usr/bin/perl --
use strict;
next unless s->{ID} =~ /\d\d+/;
print 1;
print "a - b -Q";
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$ perl5.8.9.exe reallyperlconfusingerror.pl
Bareword found where operator expected at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl 
+line 5, near "print "a - b -Q"
  (Might be a runaway multi-line -- string starting on line 3)
        (Do you need to predeclare print?)
String found where operator expected at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl li
+ne 5, at end of line
        (Missing semicolon on previous line?)
syntax error at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl line 5, near "print "a - b
+ -Q"
Can't find string terminator '"' anywhere before EOF at reallyperlconf
+usingerror.pl line 5.
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$ perl5.16.1.exe reallyperlconfusingerror.pl
Having no space between pattern and following word is deprecated at re
+allyperlconfusingerror.pl line 5.
Bareword found where operator expected at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl 
+line 5, near "print "a - b -Q"
  (Might be a runaway multi-line -- string starting on line 3)
        (Do you need to predeclare print?)
String found where operator expected at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl li
+ne 5, at end of line
        (Missing semicolon on previous line?)
syntax error at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl line 5, near "print "a - b
+ -Q"
Can't find string terminator '"' anywhere before EOF at reallyperlconf
+usingerror.pl line 5.
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$ perl5.16.1.exe -Mdiagnostics reallyperlconfusingerror.pl
Having no space between pattern and following word is deprecated at
        reallyperlconfusingerror.pl line 5 (#1)
    (D syntax)

    You had a word that isn't a regex modifier immediately following
    a pattern without an intervening space.  If you are trying to use
    the /le flags on a substitution, use /el instead.  Otherwise, add
    white space between the pattern and following word to eliminate
    the warning.  As an example of the latter, the two constructs:

     $a =~ m/$foo/sand $bar
     $a =~ m/$foo/s and $bar

    both currently mean the same thing, but it is planned to disallow
    the first form in Perl 5.18.  And,

     $a =~ m/$foo/and $bar

    will be disallowed too.

Bareword found where operator expected at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl 
+line 5, near "print "a - b -Q"
  (Might be a runaway multi-line -- string starting on line 3) (#2)
    (S syntax) The Perl lexer knows whether to expect a term or an ope
+rator.
    If it sees what it knows to be a term when it was expecting to see
+ an
    operator, it gives you this warning.  Usually it indicates that an
    operator or delimiter was omitted, such as a semicolon.

        (Do you need to predeclare print?)
String found where operator expected at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl li
+ne 5, at
        end of line (#2)
        (Missing semicolon on previous line?)

syntax error at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl line 5, near "print "a - b
+ -Q"
Can't find string terminator '"' anywhere before EOF at reallyperlconf
+usingerror.pl line 5 (#3)
    (F) Probably means you had a syntax error.  Common reasons include
+:

        A keyword is misspelled.
        A semicolon is missing.
        A comma is missing.
        An opening or closing parenthesis is missing.
        An opening or closing brace is missing.
        A closing quote is missing.

    Often there will be another error message associated with the synt
+ax
    error giving more information.  (Sometimes it helps to turn on -w.
+)
    The error message itself often tells you where it was in the line 
+when
    it decided to give up.  Sometimes the actual error is several toke
+ns
    before this, because Perl is good at understanding random input.
    Occasionally the line number may be misleading, and once in a blue
+ moon
    the only way to figure out what's triggering the error is to call
    perl -c repeatedly, chopping away half the program each time to se
+e
    if the error went away.  Sort of the cybernetic version of 20 ques
+tions.

Uncaught exception from user code:
        syntax error at reallyperlconfusingerror.pl line 5, near "prin
+t "a - b -Q"
        Can't find string terminator '"' anywhere before EOF at really
+perlconfusingerror.pl line 5.
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