Pan·do·ra's box

(păn-dôr′əz)

A source of many unforeseen troubles: "Reform is a Pandora's box; opening up the system can lead to a loss of economic and political control" (Russell Watson).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Pando′ra's box′

a source of extensive but unforeseen troubles or problems.

[1570–80]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

Pandora's box - (Greek mythology) a box that Zeus gave to Pandora with instructions that she not open it; she gave in to her curiosity and opened it; all the miseries and evils flew out to afflict mankind

Greek mythology - the mythology of the ancient Greeks

Translations

Pandora’s box

n → Büchse f → der Pandora

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Pandora's box

[pænˌdɔːrəzˈbɒks] n → il vaso di Pandora

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

He said the United States and Israel have opened a new Pandora's box by launching a cyber-attack against Iran.

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It's time the MoD faced responsibilities, surveyed its areas of operation and gave us an audit of what's in this Pandora's Box."

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"We call on all sides to remain rational and exercise restraint, and not take any escalatory actions that irritate regional tensions, and not open a Pandora's box," Wang said.

Don't open 'Pandora's Box' in Middle East, China warns

And just like that, with such a seemingly transparent and innocent action, he opened the pandora's box. This is because just like the biblical account, this disaggregated information apparently is not and will not be enough.

DPP Haji, tribes don't steal, people do

In discussions about the implications of artificial intelligence (AI), someone almost always evokes the ancient Greek myth of Pandora's box. In the modern fairytale version of the story, Pandora is depicted as a tragically curious young woman who opens a sealed urn and inadvertently releases eternal misery on humankind.

An AI wake-up call from ancient Greece

"It has opened up a Pandora's box of grave uncertainties.

Opened up Pandora's box: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Brexit

In Greek mythology, what was left in Pandora's Box after the rest of the contents had been released?

QUIZ

EU Budget Commissioner Jacek Dominik warned on Monday that British Prime Minister David Cameron will "open Pandora's box" if he doesn't make an extra payment to the EU budget by 1 December, according to EU policy and news site EurActiv.com.

EU BUDGET: Commission accuses Cameron of opening 'Pandora's Box'

The book, which would have been the tenth in the best-selling series, had a working title of Pandora's Box, a reference to Adrian's obsession with the unobtainable Pandora Braithwaite.

Author 'working on Mole book' BRITAIN BRIEFLY

When I ask residents about why they have not collected pertinent, albeit sensitive, psychosocial information, they typically respond, "I forgot to ask;" "I didn't feel comfortable going there;" or "I didn't want to open Pandora's box!" This hesitancy to ask about the patients' thoughts and feelings results from a fear of getting entangled in a conversation from which the trainee cannot easily escape.

Getting Beyond "Pandora-Phobia"