Idiom idiom
can of worms
Meaning
A complex, troublesome situation arising when a decision or action produces considerable subsequent problems.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Don't ask about his divorce — it's a can of worms.”
“The manager tried to fix the scheduling issue, but it opened a whole can of worms.”
“What seemed a minor audit discrepancy soon became a can of worms, revealing years of mismanagement and hidden debts.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026