can of worms
noun phrase
: pandora's box
afraid of what we would find if we opened up the can of worms that is the CIA—
Richard Snider
Richard SniderExamples of can of worms in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On the flip side, though, casting a former reality show star — let alone a public-facing influencer, who has a domestic violence arrest (though she has been cleared of the charges) — on a reality show could also open up a can of worms.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
This would prevent the opening of a can of worms.
—Eric Siegel, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The film’s slavish dedication to its source material — the challenging of which would open its own can of worms — demands ignoring all potential complexity in favor of didactic conclusions.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 June 2025
And the response has now opened another can of worms for Pulisic — and for the U.S. team.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 15 June 2025
That’s aside from the inclusion of a Prey Easter egg, which opens up a massive can of worms for the franchise as a whole.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 June 2025
The popular payment app enables users to send requests and payments to Venmo accounts listed as public — a default setting that opened up a can of worms for the world's top golfer, Scottie Scheffler.
—Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 11 June 2025
That may be opening up a can of worms, and not the kind that are good for soil aeration.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025
This has prompted Drake’s legal team to request that UMG produce all documents related to Lamar’s children and any domestic violence allegations against him, which could open up an entirely new can of worms.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
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Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
This would prevent the opening of a can of worms.
—Eric Siegel, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The film’s slavish dedication to its source material — the challenging of which would open its own can of worms — demands ignoring all potential complexity in favor of didactic conclusions.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 June 2025
And the response has now opened another can of worms for Pulisic — and for the U.S. team.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 15 June 2025
That’s aside from the inclusion of a Prey Easter egg, which opens up a massive can of worms for the franchise as a whole.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 June 2025
The popular payment app enables users to send requests and payments to Venmo accounts listed as public — a default setting that opened up a can of worms for the world's top golfer, Scottie Scheffler.
—Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 11 June 2025
That may be opening up a can of worms, and not the kind that are good for soil aeration.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025
This has prompted Drake’s legal team to request that UMG produce all documents related to Lamar’s children and any domestic violence allegations against him, which could open up an entirely new can of worms.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Can of worms.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/can%20of%20worms. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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