Crossword Genius

Potential difficulties from Moscow and far north somehow (3,2,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

can of worms

'potential difficulties' is the definition.
(a can of worms is a difficult issue)

'moscow and far north somehow' is the wordplay.
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'north' becomes 'N' (abbreviation).
'somehow' is an anagram indicator.
'far'+'n'='farn'
'moscow' after 'farn' is 'farnmoscow'.
'farnmoscow' with letters rearranged gives 'CAN OF WORMS'.

'from' is the link.

(Other definitions for can of worms that I've seen before include "Bird's convenience food" , "Potential trouble" , "this may turn out awkward" , "What may prove problematic" , "Something likely to prove awkward" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.