After scalar tie ... $h->{FOO} = foo $a = BAR $a tied? TieTest=HASH(0x13c8dc) h->{FOO} tied? tie for reference SCALAR(0x102efc) = TieTest=HASH(0x13c81c) tie for reference SCALAR(0x13c8d0) = TieTest=HASH(0x13c840) After reference tie ... $h->{FOO} = foo2 $a = BAR2 $a tied? TieTest=HASH(0x13c81c) h->{FOO} tied?