Can of Worms

Sometimes when planning or discussing a project, someone may make a complicated suggestion, or have an idea that introduces many difficult problems.  "We don't want to open a can of worms," would be an appropriate response.

Opening a can of worms is a common idiom, similar to saying, "there will be too many factors to sort out in order to solve this problem.  It's not worth the effort to do it."

Imagine opening a can of worms and staring into it.  You cannot distinguish the start of one worm from its other end!  It's just a confusing jumble. 

Today's entrepreneurs look at a seemingly impossible problem, such as organizing a can of worms, and use the power of computers and software algorithms to sort out and solve difficult problems.  They might say, "Ah, it's only a can of worms!  What's so bad about that?"

Silver Lining

One of 2012's most popular movies in America was Silver Linings Playbook.  In this motion picture, the phrase "silver lining" is used frequently by Bradley Cooper's bipolar character, Pat, but it is never fully explained.  For those who may be unfamiliar with the phrase and its full meaning, it originates from a longer phrase, "Every cloud has a silver lining."

"Every cloud has a silver lining," is an optimistic expression.  It is used as a comforting tonic, when something bad happens, there may also be a good aspect to it.  So, for every negative occurrence, there is hope for a positive side to it.  Another similar phrase would be, "There are two sides to every coin," although this phrase does not automatically suggest hopefulness and positive encouragement in the way silver lining does.  It simply means there are two sides, or opposite meanings, to every story.

In the movie, Pats says to his doctor,

You have to do everything you can, you have to work your hardest, and if you do, if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining.

In this case, the silver lining is not something magically granted from within a dark, rain cloud.  It is a goal and a reward to be earned by personal effort.

The origins of this idiom, according to my online research, is not American, it is by the English poet John Milton.  The poetic reference was reused in other writings and made its way across the Atlantic into the American consciousness.