The phrase "an awkward reference to" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing a mention or allusion that feels uncomfortable or out of place in a particular context.
Example: "The author made an awkward reference to a controversial topic that left the audience feeling uneasy."
Alternatives: "an uncomfortable mention of" or "a clumsy allusion to".
There is, for example, an awkward reference to a Jeeves relative dying on the Western Front.
As a result, it raised eyebrows on Wednesday night when she delivered an awkward reference to doing her show without a commercial break ― not because of fleeing advertisers but because of all the material she had. .
Nicolette van Dam, a Dutch actress and UNICEF ambassador, sent a tweet before a Colombia game that showed two Colombian players attempting to snort the "vanishing spray" used by referees on a field as if it were lines of cocaine, in an awkward reference to the country's former status as the world's top cocaine supplier.
The flirtation included Trump's (awkward) reference to "LGBTQ people" in his acceptance speech -- a first for a Republican presidential candidate.
They seem hell-bent — forgive the awkward reference — to exhort fellow nonbelievers to "come out" and announce to the world their rejection of divinity.
They seem hell-bent — forgive the awkward reference — to exhort fellow nonbelievers to 'come out' and announce to the world their rejection of divinity". Well, his niggling mannerisms have provoked me to encourage the Daily Pilot to give equal time and space to atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, etc.
Last month it became clear that at least one sort of offender would not be included in the discount plan: an awkward reference by Mr Clarke to "serious rape", which seemed to imply that some rape wasn't, provoked fury.
And there are more than a few awkward references to Kennedy wearing nothing but a sarong.
While she praised Obama for his "grace and skill," and acknowledged his "beautiful family," it included an awkward reference with a racially strained undertone: "When a black citizen prepares to fill the office of Washington and Lincoln, that is a shining moment in our history that can be lost on no one".
"N.Y.P.D. Blue" has dropped two small, awkward references to the attacks into its season premiere on Tuesday.
But his penchant for awkward references to his own wealth has underscored the suspicion that many voters have about his ability to understand their economic problems.
