can of worms

English

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Noun

can of worms (plural cans of worms)

(idiomatic) A complex, troublesome situation arising when a decision or action produces considerable subsequent problems.
If someone gets a promotion that might not be deserved, it could open up a whole can of worms with the other employees.
(idiomatic) A troublesome situation; an issue whose resolution is difficult or contentious but not necessarily complex.
Questioning the decision would definitely open a can of worms.

Synonyms

Translations

a complex, troublesome situation

Chinese:
Mandarin: 棘手的問題, 棘手的问题 (jíshǒu de wèntí)
Finnish: soppa (fi)
French: sac de nœuds (fr) m (literally “a bag of knots”)
Japanese: 状態 (ja) (ゴチャゴチャした : gochagocha-shita jōtai), 事態 (ja) (困った : komatta jitai)

Maori: unuhanga taniwha
Navajo: tʼóó chąąʼ
Russian: клубо́к пробле́м m (klubók problém), весёленькая исто́рия (vesjólenʹkaja istórija) (ironic)
Spanish: melón (es) m (colloquial; usu. preceded by the verb abrir)
Welsh: tuniad o gynrhon

See also

genie is out of the bottle

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