I'm using "classic" to refer to the way things were done when the terms were first invented. Old languages like C or Fortran.

Python uses references implicitly without ever defining the term, so it's essential to talk about the high level semantics in this case. A Python reference (implied) differs greatly from a C++ reference in that it can be rebound with the assignment operator. If you're thinking about references in C++ terms then Python will confuse you. It's important to call out the differences.