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• It takes two to tango
  It takes two to tango

  Certain activities cannot be performed alone — such as quarreling, making love, and dancing the tango.
• it takes two to tango
  it takes two to tango

  The active cooperation of both parties is needed for some enterprises, as in We'll never pass this bill unless both parties work out a compromise—it takes two to tango. This expression dates from the 1920s, when the Latin American tango became a very popular dance. It was popularized by the singer Pearl Bailey in her 1952 hit song of that name written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning.

It takes two to tango

Cultural  

1. Certain activities cannot be performed alone — such as quarreling, making love, and dancing the tango.

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it takes two to tango Idioms  

1. The active cooperation of both parties is needed for some enterprises, as in We'll never pass this bill unless both parties work out a compromise—it takes two to tango. This expression dates from the 1920s, when the Latin American tango became a very popular dance. It was popularized by the singer Pearl Bailey in her 1952 hit song of that name written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

It takes two to tango it takes two to tango

It takes two to tango, but it was only she who paid the band.

From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2026

"I've never felt anything like that in my entire wrestling career. It takes two to tango, but that historic crowd reaction was all for you," wrote Johnson, now a major Hollywood star.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2025

"It takes two to tango - apologies have to be received by somebody," said Roy Kaikusi Groenberg of the Honor and Recovery Foundation, a Dutch Afro-Surinamese organisation.

From Reuters ● Dec. 19, 2022

Google Tango Image by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge It takes two to tango, but Google never found enough partners for its early foray in augmented reality to make an impact on the dancefloor.

From The Verge ● Dec. 20, 2019

It takes two to tango, so to speak.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2013

"If you've got something, give it. I stand ready to receive it and engage with them, but it takes two to tango."

From Reuters ● Feb. 28, 2023

But it takes two to tango — and to negotiate.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 2, 2022

In other words, in any conversation, it takes two to tango.

From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2022

Remember, it takes two to tango, just like it takes two to tangle.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 12, 2019

But how reliable are the figures and, if it takes two to tango, is it even mathematically possible?

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2012