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A "can of worms" is an issue with a number of complex aspects or opinions.

To "open a can of worms" means to encounter a topic that might be more than you wanted to get into. An example would be to ask someone how their day was, without knowing that the person had been assaulted and arrested earlier that day. Your innocent question might be leading to opening a can of worms rather than just producing the social niceties that you expected.

"To open a can of worms" usually means to bring a new set of distracting complications and difficulties to a discussion or a problem. As a "can of worms" is a wriggly mass of confusion, a topic may have many detailed and involved aspects, whether you realize them or not.

Avoiding the can may also be avoiding a problem that is better left alone, like the metaphor of Pandora's box, or the admonition to "let sleeping dogs lie."

Examples:

"The subject of appropriate bonuses turned out to be another can of worms."

"I would ask him if his car was fixed yet, but I don't want to open that can of worms."
It means by trying to solve one problem you will unintentionally create many more problems in doing so

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