to open a can of worms
3
7.4
- idiom
- Informal
:
abrir un tarro de gusanos
- In other words, have you considered that in order to fix certain things, it might open a can of worms and a cascade of dependencies that programmers would be forced to fix as well?
Well, I think this is going to open a can of worms.
- 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.
Examples
-
I was afraid this graphic warning business would open a can of worms, and it has.
Blog text (28) -
I apologize if I'm opening a can of worms with my response.
Blog text (27) -
You just opened a can of worms.
Blog text (30) -
I just opened a can of worms on myself, but I'll keep it short.
Blog text (29) -
That opens a can of worms.
Blog text (16) -
If the court had rules against Sony, it would have opened a can of worms.
Blog text (23) -
But I'd rather not open a can of worms.
Blog text (20) -
I know I am opening a can of worms, but we (as a nation) need to consider taxing real estate holdings of the religious community.
Blog text (15) -
In speaking candidly about this second 'elephant,' some may worry that I have opened a can of worms involving irreconcilable differences.
Academic text (2014) -
Her decision to discuss finances in the meeting may open a can of worms about the budget cuts.
Synonyms
7
7.2
Make a topic more confusing by adding unclear details
4
7.7
To create many unexpected problems that are hard to control
1
8.6
Cause problems on purpose that stop a plan or process from working smoothly
To cause a lot of trouble and anger among people
To cause a plan to fail or have big problems
To make a problem more confusing instead of clearer
Antonyms
How Complicated
- Informal
3
7.4
7
4.1
1
2.1
22
3.7
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'open', 'can' and 'worms' gives a learner a partial metaphorical image (opening a container and releasing something unpleasant), so some sense of causing trouble may be inferable. However, the specific meaning 'create a complicated situation with many unexpected problems' is an idiomatic extension not fully predictable from the parts and relies on cultural usage, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The idiom open a can of worms comes from a simple image: imagine you open a can of live worms for fishing and they wriggle out everywhere, making a messy, hard-to-control scene. So, to open a can of worms means 'to start something that causes many unexpected problems'.