Thanks davido && Roger!

That shortcut was a real AHA-experience for me... but very much in the spirit of Perl of course. Rather smart actually! for a quick MD-array, though i do see your pt. Dave vith resp. to using refs. for building up complex datastructs. for larger apps. I agree on that.
I did read (ride) the Camel; -- some months back by now, so i didn'n recognize the construct, tho' i must have seen it there. -- Much stuff crammed into that big hump :)
I didn't think of using Data::Dumper to clearify exactly what this construct might map to in terms of Perl internal dstructs (tho' i've used it in other contexts). But yes, i do see now, how that could have resolved the issue!

Thanks' to both of you, -- yet another idiom in the bag (almost like collecting butterflies...
best regards -- allan

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As the eternal tranquility of Truth reveals itself to us, this very place is the Land of Lotuses
-- Hakuin Ekaku Zenji