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
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
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
Petersen expects more companies to declare force majeure or attempt to get out of existing contracts or relationships, opening a whole new potential legal can of worms.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 Apr. 2025
The investigation was so slow because by going that route prosecutors had to open a whole can of worms.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
That’s a can of worms that society has not yet dealt with.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Max handles that very well, but the real meat is in the story of a mother and daughter who find that his sudden absence opens up a whole other can of worms.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025
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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
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
Petersen expects more companies to declare force majeure or attempt to get out of existing contracts or relationships, opening a whole new potential legal can of worms.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 Apr. 2025
The investigation was so slow because by going that route prosecutors had to open a whole can of worms.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
That’s a can of worms that society has not yet dealt with.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Max handles that very well, but the real meat is in the story of a mother and daughter who find that his sudden absence opens up a whole other can of worms.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Can of worms.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/can%20of%20worms. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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