Cryptic crossword clue
Author gestures, vaguely encompassing second reference work 6,9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 9 letter word ROGETS THESAURUS

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
R
O
G
E
T
S
T
H
E
S
A
U
R
U
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "reference work" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case reference work = rogets thesaurus.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

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