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View synonyms for can of worms
can of worms
noun
- Informal. a source of many unpredictable or unexpected problems:
Buying a company we know nothing about would be opening up a whole new can of worms.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of can of worms1
First recorded in 1965–70
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Idioms and Phrases
A complex unexpected problem or unsolvable dilemma, as in Tackling the budget cuts is sure to open a can of worms . This expression alludes to a container of bait used for fishing, which when opened reveals an inextricable tangle of worms. [1920s]Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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