a can of worms “一罐虫子”？？

stefanie_no1

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[color=rgb(153, 153, 153) !important]2013-7-10 17:51 上传

英语中的can（“罐子”）话题还真不少，比如carry the can（代人受过）。
今天要学习的习语是a can of worms。
与Pandora's box（“潘多拉的盒子”——罪恶的源泉）有点相像，a can of worms往往被认为是“棘手问题的原产地”。
Meaning: If you say a situation or an issue is a can of worms, you think that getting involved in it could lead to problems.

想要理解“a can of worms”，得从它的字面意“装满蠕虫的罐子”说起。“Worm”（蠕虫）在这里是“鱼诱”，垂钓者为了引诱鱼儿，往往会在垂钓时带上一个罐子，里面装满蠕虫。

想象一下，如果你打开罐子会是什么情景？——来回蠕动的虫子爬满一地。那种“毛茸茸”的局面！与其说难控制，倒不如说令人生厌懒得再去理会。由此，open a can of worms是个比喻，不是真的开一罐虫子。to open a can of worms常常用来形容“问题、难题的源泉”或“某件事把问题弄得更加复杂”。

Origin
Metaphorically speaking, to open a can of worms is to examine or attempt to solve some problem, only to inadvertently complicate it and create even more trouble. Literally speaking, opening a can of worms, as most fishermen can attest, can also mean more trouble than you bargained for. No surprise, then, that the phrase was inspired by real live creepy crawlies.

While the exact origin and first usage isn’t clear, various dictionaries and historians of slang and idioms agree that the phrase was born in the U.S. in the 1950s or earlier and references an actual conveyance for Oligochaetes. In the days before plastic and styrofoam containers were ubiquitous, bait shops often sold earthworms and other live bait to fishermen in metal cans with handles and lids.

The great thing about live bait is that it's alive, so it wriggles on the hook and tempts fish with its movement. The bad thing about live bait is also that it's alive, and leaving the lid of the container loose or off is a great way to lose your bait. Given the opportunity to exit, worms will often either escape or just generally make it difficult to get them all back in the can and replace the lid. Once you've opened a can of them, you've got a problem on your hands.
Read the full text here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/31039/how-did-term-open-can-worms-originate#ixzz2YdPaLKsu

看下面几个例句：
The court case has opened up a real can of worms.
这个案子又牵扯出一连串的问题。
Corruption in politics is such a can of worms that many journalists won't take the risk of seriously investigating it.
政治腐败问题如此复杂以至于很多记者是不会真正去冒险来调查的。

来个小测验
The investigators knew that examining the company's books might open a can of worms. They suspected there'd be
a.a huge number of worms
b.nothing seriously wrong
c.evidence of serious crimes