Wild Goose Persuasive Speech

-It might further complicate matters if we showed up uninvited. (Confuse, make matters difficult, or cause problems; thwart/ confound/ make difficulties/ set hurdles/ make difficult/ make problems/ make matters worse/ cause difficulties/ add fuel to fire/ bedevil/impede/ make intricate/ make waves/ muck up/ open can of worms/ perplex/ screw up/ upset).

-For her sister, it was another nail in her heart. (Another nail in the heart/ to make a bad situation worse / nail in the coffin= something that will harm someone/ kick a man when he’s down/ aggravate matters/ take advantage when a person is at his most vulnerable/ put the boot in/ dark night of the soul /add insult to injury)
~ She added insult to injury by posting his indiscretions on Facebook.

(A wild goose chase/ the garden path/ Running around in circles: do something for a long time without achieving anything {Oxford Dictionary})
~ For the investigators, it’s another roadblock.

-It’s a hornet’s nest of moral, legal, social and scientific concern. (Situation fraught with all sorts of trouble, problems or concerns/ a large amount of activity, trouble, hostility, or animosity/ a highly contentious or hazardous situation/ Pandora’s box/ evils/ harms/ glitches/ hitches/ complications/ difficulties/ aggression/ anger/ unfriendliness/ resentment/ antagonism/ opposition/ enmity/ anxieties/ worries/ apprehensions/ fears/ alarms/ distresses/ disquiets/ trepidations/ dilemma/ quandary/ can of worms/ fine kettle of fish/ pretty pickle/ imbroglio/ mess)
~ I suggest you steer clear of that subject; it’s a Pandora’s Box of complaints. You never know what Trojan horses will jump out (A process that once begun generates many complicated problems)
~ If you mention the Springboks, you’ll open a Pandora’s Box of questions.
-Talk of invading Iraq stirred up a political hornets’ nest. (A highly contentious or hazardous situation/ a hot potato/ a difficult problem/ difficulty/ snag/ problem/ impediment/ obstacle/ hurdle/ barrier/ tricky

(A problematic or uncomfortable business/ untenable/shaky/ unsound/ unsustainable/ a slippery slope/ of slings and arrows= adverse factors or circumstances/ difficult/ tricky/ challenging/ sticky/ awkward/ problematical)

-Batten down the hatches or tighten your belts people, petrol prices are set to rise before the year-end. (Prepare for difficult times/ brace yourselves/ gird your loins/bite the bullet/ things are coming to a pretty pass/ deep waters ahead/ it’s going to be heavy going/ there are tough times ahead/save for a rainy day/ face up to/ steel yourself/ harden your heart/ get ready)
~ We’ll have to batten down the hatches; there’s a storm brewing. (Prepare for trouble. /secure the area/ (literally and figuratively))

-They had learned to distinguish the almost imperceptible sound of his footsteps as he descended towards their dungeons, and braced themselves. (prepare for something difficult or unpleasant {Oxford Dictionary}/ gird your loins/ get ready/ grit your teeth/ prepare yourself/ steel yourself/ take care/ caution/ held their breath/ fear the worst/ loosen up/ warm up/ limber up/battle stations/ a call to