Worms

worm information

To get someone (sometimes with a touch of trickery) to reveal details that likely would not have been volunteered. Usually followed by "out of," as in "worm information out of." Bill was keeping quiet about his break-up, but I knew I could worm information out of him if I tried hard enough. Kira worms information about upcoming tests out of her teachers by complimenting them and straightening up their classrooms.See also: information, worm

worm (one's) way in

To get oneself into a place or a situation, with a touch of trickery, artistry, or cunning. I plan on worming my way into the big meeting by schmoozing with my boss for a while.See also: way, worm

cheat the worms

To avoid death, especially after having a serious illness. Refers to the worms often found near a decaying body. A: "I heard that Ellen cheated the worms! Is that true? Last I saw her, she was so sick." B: "Oh, yeah! She's doing great now!" I hope I can cheat the worms and make a full recovery—but I feel so sick right now.See also: cheat, Worms

can of worms

A situation that, once started, is likely to become problematic or have a negative outcome. Getting involved in the minor border conflict has become a can of worms for the country, with no end to the military engagement in sight. You can try reformatting your computer, but once you open that can of worms, you'll probably be working on it for days.See also: can, of, Worms

food for worms

A dead person. You better drive more carefully, unless you want to be food for worms!See also: food, Worms

have one for the worms

To have an alcoholic drink. The phrase refers to the belief that alcohol kills worms in the stomach. Let's all have one for the worms—I'm buying!See also: have, one, Worms

open (up) a can of worms

To initiate, instigate, or reveal a situation that is or is likely to become very complicated or problematic or that will have a negative outcome. I worry that trying to tweak the existing system could open up a can of worms that we're not anticipating. The candidate opened a can of worms when he made those inflammatory comments. Now the entire election has been dominated by the topic.See also: can, of, open, Worms

worm (one's) way out (of something)

To disentangle oneself from some situation, duty, or responsibility, especially through sly, devious, or cunning means. You've wormed your way out of doing the dishes for the last time! Sally always finds some way to worm her way out of any trouble she gets herself into. I told you that the whole company has to be there to do the inventory count—you're not worming your way out this time!See also: out, way, worm

worm into (something or some place)

1. To crawl, wriggle, or squeeze into some tight or confined thing or space. The dog likes to worm into bed with me and my wife at night. I can worm into the pants, but there's no way I'll be able to zip them up.2. To get oneself into some place or a situation, with a touch of trickery, artistry, or cunning. He wormed into the big meeting by hanging around the boss before it was due to begin. I can't believe we managed to worm into the nightclub without having our IDs checked.See also: worm

worm (one's) way into (something or some place)

1. To crawl, wriggle, or squeeze into some tight or confined thing or space. The dog likes to worm her way into bed with me and my wife at night. I can worm my way into these pants, but there's no way I'll be able to zip them up.2. To get oneself into a place or a situation, with a touch of trickery, artistry, or cunning. He wormed his way into the big meeting by hanging around the boss before it was due to begin. I can't believe we managed to worm our way into the nightclub without having our IDs checked.See also: way, worm

worm out of (something or some place)

1. To crawl, wriggle, or squeeze out of some tight or confined thing or space. The jeans were so tight that I had to worm out of them. The spy wormed out of the ventilation shaft and lowered himself into the ambassador's office.2. To disentangle oneself from some situation, duty, or responsibility, especially through sly, devious, or cunning means. Not so fast, you've wormed out of doing the dishes for the last time! Sally always finds some way to worm out of trouble. I told you that the whole company has to be there to do the inventory count—you're not worming out of it again this time!See also: of, out, worm

*can of worms

Fig. a very difficult issue or set of problems; an array of difficulties. (*Typically: be ~; Open ~.) This political scandal is a real can of worms. Let's not open that can of worms!See also: can, of, Worms

can of worms

A complex unexpected problem or unsolvable dilemma, as in Tackling the budget cuts is sure to open a can of worms. This expression alludes to a container of bait used for fishing, which when opened reveals an inextricable tangle of worms. [1920s] See also: can, of, Worms

a can of worms

COMMON A can of worms is a situation or subject that is very complicated, difficult or unpleasant to deal with or discuss. Now we have uncovered a can of worms in which there has not only been shameful abuse of power, but a failure of moral authority of the worst kind. Note: You can also use the expression to open a can of worms, meaning to start dealing with or discussing something so complicated, difficult or unpleasant that it would be better not to deal with or discuss it at all. Whenever a company connects its network to the Internet, it opens a can of worms in security terms. Many people worry that by uncovering the cause of their unhappiness they might be opening a can of worms that they can't then deal with.See also: can, of, Worms

open up a can of worms

discover or bring to light a complicated matter likely to prove awkward or embarrassing. informal 1998 New Scientist UN officials readily accept that they have opened a can of worms, and their guidelines will only have an effect, they say, if governments act on them. See also: can, of, open, up, Worms

food for worms

a dead person.See also: food, Worms

a can of ˈworms

(informal) if you open up a can of worms, you start doing something that will cause a lot of problems and be very difficult: I think if we start asking questions we’ll open up a whole new can of worms. Perhaps we should just accept the situation.See also: can, of, Worms

can of worms

n. an intertwined set of problems; an array of difficulties. (Often with open.) When you brought that up, you opened a whole new can of worms. See also: can, of, Worms

worms

n. noodles; spaghetti. Let’s have worms tonight.

worms in blood

n. spaghetti in tomato sauce. I’m getting tired of worms in blood every Wednesday. See also: blood, Worms

can of worms

A complex or difficult problem.See also: can, of, Worms

can of worms, it's a/like opening a

Introducing a complicated problem or unsolvable dilemma. The metaphor alludes to the live bait of fishermen. In a jar or other container, they form an inextricable tangle, wriggling and entwining themselves with one another. The term is American in origin, dating from the mid-twentieth century. See also: can, like, of, opening

food for worms

Dead and buried. This expression dates back to the thirteenth century, or perhaps even earlier. “Ne schalt tu beon wurmes fode?” wrote the unknown author of the Middle English Ancren Riwle about 1220. Shakespeare picked it up in Henry IV, Part 1 (5.4), when the mortally wounded Hotspur says of himself, “No, Percy, thou art dust, and food for—” and dies, so Prince Henry completes it, “For worms, brave Percy.” See also: food, Worms

Worms

(vôrms), city (1994 pop. 79,155), Rhineland-Palatinate, SW Germany, on the Rhine River. It is an industrial city and a leading wine trade center. Manufactures include leather goods, textiles, electrical appliances, paints, ceramics, chemicals, and machinery. One of the most venerable historic centers of Europe, Worms was originally a Celtic settlement called Borbetomagus. It was captured and fortified by the Romans under Drusus in 14 B.C. and was known as Civitas Vangionum. It became the capital of the first kingdom of Burgundy in the 5th cent.; much of the Nibelungenlied is set in Worms at the Burgundian court. The city was an early episcopal see, and its bishops ruled some territory on the right bank of the Rhine as princes of the Holy Roman Empire until 1803, when the bishopric was secularized and passed to Hesse-Darmstadt. The city itself, however, early escaped episcopal control; in 1156, it was created a free imperial city. Numerous important meetings, including about 100 imperial diets, were held there. The best known of these meetings were the episcopal synod of 1076, which declared Pope Gregory VII deposed; the conference that led in 1122 to the Concordat of Worms; the diet of 1495 (see Maximilian IMaximilian I,
1459–1519, Holy Roman emperor and German king (1493–1519), son and successor of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. As emperor, he aspired to restore forceful imperial leadership and inaugurate much-needed administrative reforms in the increasingly
..... Click the link for more information. , emperor); and the diet of 1521 (see Worms, Diet ofWorms, Diet of,
1521, most famous of the imperial diets held at Worms, Germany. It was opened in Jan., 1521, by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. After disposing of other business, notably the question of the Reichsregiment, the diet took up the question of the recalcitrant behavior
..... Click the link for more information. ). The City suffered heavy damage in the Thirty Years War (1618–48). It was annexed by France in 1797 and passed to Hesse-Darmstadt at the Congress of Vienna (1814–15). Worms was occupied (1918–30) by French troops after World War I. The city was more than half destroyed in World War II, but was reconstructed after 1945. Worms had one of the oldest Jewish settlements in Germany. Its Romanesque-Gothic synagogue, founded in 1034, was destroyed by the Nazis in 1938 but was rebuilt after the war and reopened in 1961. Of note is the city's Romanesque cathedral (11th–12th cent.). Near Worms is the Liebfrauenkirche (13th–15th cent.), a church surrounded by vineyards, which gave its name to the area's noted white wine, Liebfraumilch.

Worms

a city in the Federal Republic of Germany in the Land (state) of Rhineland-Palatinate, a port on the left bank of the Rhine. Population, 63,000 (1969). The city has machine-building, metalworking, leather, textile, chemical (plastics), food, and furniture industries. It is a wine market. There is a pedagogical academy in the city.

Worms is one of the oldest German cities. It was a Celtic settlement by the name of Borbetomagus and a fortified camp under the Romans. In the fifth century it was a center of the first kingdom of the Burgundians. In the Middle Ages, Worms was at first an episcopal see and then a free imperial city. Many medieval diets were held in Worms. In 1689 the city suffered great destruction from French troops. From 1797 until 1813 it belonged to France, and after World War II it was in the French occupation zone of Germany (until 1949).

There are several Romanesque churches in Worms, including the “imperial” cathedral of St. Peter (built primarily between 1170 and 1240), which has a basilica with two choirs, a transept, and six towers covered by cruciform ribbed vaulting and is ornamented with blind arcatures, “dwarf arched galleries, and relief carvings.

REFERENCE

Illert, F. M. Worms im wechselnden Spiel der Jahrtausende. Worms, 1958.

worms

any disease or disorder, usually of the intestine, characterized by infestation with parasitic worms

Worms

a city in SW Germany, in Rhineland-Palatinate on the Rhine: famous as the seat of imperial diets, notably that of 1521, before which Luther defended his doctrines in the presence of Charles V; river port and manufacturing centre with a large wine trade. Pop.: 81 100 (2003 est.)

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worm information

worm (one's) way in

cheat the worms

can of worms

food for worms

have one for the worms

open (up) a can of worms

worm (one's) way out (of something)

worm into (something or some place)

worm (one's) way into (something or some place)

worm out of (something or some place)

*can of worms

can of worms

a can of worms

open up a can of worms

food for worms

a can of ˈworms

can of worms

worms

worms in blood

can of worms

can of worms, it's a/like opening a

food for worms

Worms

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Worms

REFERENCE

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Patient discussion about worms

WoRMS