I see it floating in the air; I’ll nip it in the bud!

From English Language lessons many years ago this Mixed Metaphor sprang to mind when I heard another lovely example on the radio recently: ‘We’ve opened the Pandora’s Box and the can of worms is out.’

This is a surprising mental picture, but the message of the speaker is clear. Would it be so to anyone who could not call up the myth and the metaphor?