can of worms
17
6.5
- noun
- Informal
:
avispero
- There's a real can of worms here.
- open a can of worms
OK, yeah, sort of like here, I apparently like to open up big cans of worms today.
- OK, yeah, sort of like here, I apparently like to open up big cans of worms today.
- It warns you not to open that can of worms, to not pull on the thread for fear that the sweater comes undone.
- Well, I think this is going to open a can of worms.
- So yeah, I hey, you know, yes, Ben, you should go buy a house and we're not picking on you, but you did open a can of worms, so we'll deal with it for a second.
- Because if they had of done, then a whole can of worms opens.
Examples
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Discussing that topic could lead to a whole can of worms that none of us are prepared for.
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My advice to you: don't let a can of worms scare you.
Blog text (25) -
We show the court exactly what kind of can of worms these folks are trying to open.
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And how you found out, well, that might open up a real can of worms for us.
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Have I opened up a bigger can of worms than I meant to?
Blog text (25) -
Let's not open that can of worms.
-
You don't want to open that can of worms.
Fiction book (2001) -
When a lawman hides behind the law and commits a questionable act, it opens up a whole can of worms and makes my job much harder.
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Let's not open that can of worms and complicate this situation any further.
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Once we start this debate, we're opening a can of worms that may cause many issues.
Antonyms
How Complicated
- Literature
21
8.2
- Informal
8
7.2
- Informal
17
6.5
∞
1.0
∞
1.2
∞
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal image of opening a 'can' full of 'worms' suggests a messy, cascading problem, so a learner who knows the constituents can plausibly infer that it refers to revealing or creating many complications. However, the expression is metaphorical and conventionalized in English, so the exact pragmatic sense ('a situation that will lead to many further problems') is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom can of worms may come from the image of opening a tin can full of live worms that wriggle out and spread everywhere. Because you can't put them back, the phrase means a small action that will start 'many more problems'.