%$hash_ref and @$array_ref still work. It is @{%$hash_ref}{1,2} which does not work anymore, as it never should have worked. %$hash_ref is evaluated to a string like "1/8" which tells you how the hash uses its buckets. Then, @{"1/8"}{1,2} tries to interpret the string as a hash reference and fails. Without strict refs, you can create a hash called "1/8": ${"1/8"}{1} = "q"; print @{"1/8"}{1};