The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word ALLUSIONS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
L
L
U
S
I
O
N
S
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "references" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case references = allusions.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.
What does ALLUSIONS mean?
ALLUSIONS noun- An indirect reference; a hint; a reference to something supposed to be known, but not explicitly mentioned