Posted by ESC on December 01, 2006
In Reply to: Re: Don't open up a can of worms posted by ESC on December 01, 2006
: : don't open up a can of worms
: If anyone has a better example, jump in.
: Don't mention a certain subject. It could lead to a conversation topic that is going to be unpleasant. "He asked about her ex-husband. That opened a can of worms." Or it could refer to a course of action. "We decided to remodel the kitchen. That opened up a can of worms and we wound up remodeling the whole house."
: From the archives: http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/250.html
A visual aide at: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=can+of+worms
: It is about the same meaning as "opening Pandora's box" (See http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/6/messages/167.html )