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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

"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

It takes two to tango, but thus far it’s been a Canucks tap-dance all over the Kraken, who’ve yet to score more than two goals in any of the three games.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2022

"The question is whether the US administration is ready. The ball is in the US's court. It takes two to tango."

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2021

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

Fellow two-weight undisputed champion Claressa Shields wrote on social media: external-link "Salute both women, it takes two to tango."

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 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

"The time is long overdue for the parties to seek a friendly outcome -- but it takes two to tango," Anaconda Chairman John McBride said in a statement on Tuesday.

From Reuters ● Aug. 24, 2010

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