can of worms

Main Entry:
can of worms []
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: complicated situation
Synonyms: Gordian knot, Pandora's box, Pandora's box, complex problem, complexity, complication, difficult situation, difficulty, dog's breakfast, entanglement, hard nut to crack, headache, hornet's nest, hot water, hot water, mare's nest, mess, predicament, problem, quagmire, quandary, snafu, snake pit, snarl, trouble, troublesome problem, unpredictable situation
Main Entry: complicated
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: difficult, complex
Synonyms: Byzantine, Daedalean, Gordian, abstruse, arduous, can of worms, convoluted, difficult, elaborate, entangled, fancy, gasser, hard, hi-tech, interlaced, intricate, involved, knotty, labyrinthine, mega factor, mixed, perplexing, problematic, puzzling, recondite, sophisticated, troublesome, various, wheels within wheels
Notes: something complex may be well-organized and logically constructed as well as subtle and intricate, while a thing that is complicated will have something irregular, perverse, asymmetrical in addition to fundamental intricacy; complex is more formal and technical (a problem in mathematics is complex) while something like personal life can be complicated
Antonyms: easy, facile, simple
Main Entry: consequence
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: result, outcome of action
Synonyms: aftereffect, aftermath, bottom line, can of worms, chain reaction, effect, end, event, fallout, follow through, follow-up, issue, outgrowth, payback, reaction, repercussion, sequel, sequence, spin-off, upshot, waves
Antonyms: beginning, cause, commencement, inception, origin, rise, source, start
Main Entry: distress
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: hardship, adversity
Synonyms: bad luck, bummer, calamity, can of worms, catastrophe, crunch, destitution, difficulty, disaster, downer, drag*, exigency, hard knocks, hard time, holy mess, hot water, indigence, jam*, misfortune, need, pickle, pinch*, poverty, privation, rigor, rotten luck, scrape*, straits, throe, ticklish spot, tough break, tough luck, trial, trouble, unholy mess, vicissitude, want
Antonyms: advantage, benefit, miracle
Main Entry: effect
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: result
Synonyms: aftereffect, aftermath, backlash, backwash, can of worms, causatum, chain reaction, conclusion, consequence, corollary, denouement, development, end, end product, event, eventuality, fallout, flak, follow through, follow-up, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, precipitate, pursuance, ramification, reaction, reflex, repercussion, response, sequel, sequence, side effect, spin-off, upshot, waves
Notes: as a noun, affect means 'a feeling or emotion,' whereas effect means 'the result or consequence of some action or process'; as a verb, to affect means 'to exert an influence upon,' and implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction, whereas to effect means 'to bring about as a result'
effect is a noun referring to a thing, but if you mean an action, that is affect; if you want the verb meaning 'achieve, bring about,' that is effect
Antonyms: beginning, cause, commencement, foundation, origin, source, start
Main Entry: intricate
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: complicated, elaborate
Synonyms: Byzantine, Daedal, abstruse, baroque, can of worms, complex, convoluted, difficult, entangled, fancy, hard, high-tech, involved, labyrinthine, obscure, perplexing, rococo, sophisticated, tangled, tortuous, tricky
Antonyms: direct, methodical, simple, systematic, understandable
Main Entry: problem
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: difficulty; bad situation
Synonyms: botheration, box*, can of worms, complication, count*, crunch, dilemma, disagreement, dispute, disputed point, doubt, headache, hitch*, hot water, issue, mess*, obstacle, pickle, point at issue, predicament, quandary, question, scrape*, squeeze*, trouble, worriment
Antonyms: good situation, solution
Main Entry: mare's nest
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: troublesome situation
Synonyms: can of worms, dog's breakfast, gallimaufry, hash, mess, patchwork, rat's nest, salmagundi
Main Entry: Pandora's box
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: evils that are hidden
Synonyms: can of worms, confusion, evil, hornet's nest, ill, snake in the grass
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