Idiom
it takes two to tango
Meaning
Some things need the active cooperation of two parties; blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“You cannot blame just me, because it takes two to tango.”
“The manager refused to pick a side in the argument, reminding them that it takes two to tango.”
“While the two nations accused each other of escalating the conflict, international observers noted that it takes two to tango and urged both sides to negotiate.”
Examples
simple
“You cannot blame just me, because it takes two to tango.”
contextual
“The manager refused to pick a side in the argument, reminding them that it takes two to tango.”
complex
“While the two nations accused each other of escalating the conflict, international observers noted that it takes two to tango and urged both sides to negotiate.”
Origin
From the 1952 song 'Takes Two to Tango' by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning, sung by Pearl Bailey; President Reagan's use of it in 1982 cemented the idiom.
Key words
Related idioms
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated