Ask LJ

[learnedax]

Is there an expression that describes trying to take one thing and inadvertently dragging along many things attached to or entangled with that thing? I feel like there ought to be some common word or phrase for it, but nothing springs to mind.

Comments

[jjaquinta.livejournal.com]

"Pulling the tread" is the idiom I've used. Mostly when I've gone into someone else's code to change just one thing, but because of their screwy dependencies, I have to make some other changes, which require other changes. Although I guess it originally meant when you saw a thread loose on your shirt, and pulled it to make it tidy. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it unraveled half the shirt...

[be-well-lowell.livejournal.com]

... and sometimes it just tightened the next knot in the tangle.

I was thinking this, as well. Although (like all the other suggestions) it may be more or less appropriate depending on the application.