If I pass \@array to something, I expect to be able to "garble" that data. If I want to give it a copy, I write @array .

And what if you get passed an arrayful or references? If you make a copy of the array, the references in it still point to the same things. You'd need to make a deep copy..

This is not something your module is not handling correctly. I submit that it's a misconception in your expectations. Perl is not a functional language.

Makeshifts last the longest.