It Takes Two to Tango

Meaning of Idiom ‘It Takes Two to Tango’

It takes two to tango means that, during a difficult situation, disagreement, dispute, etc. two parties are involved and both of them must bear some responsibility and blame for the situation.

For example, if a person bribes a police officer to get out of trouble and the police officer accepts the bribe, sealing the deal, both are guilty…it takes two to tango.

More generally, it takes two to tango means that a certain thing requires two people in order to happen, in other words, some things cannot happen by one person acting alone; cooperation is needed.

Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? Subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Usage Notes

This idiom is often shortened to just ‘it takes two.’

The idiom is often used in regards to two people arguing. If one person blames the other person for the argument, we might point out that it takes two to tango or simply say “it takes two,” meaning that one person cannot argue alone, an argument requires the participation of at least two people.

It is also used in regards to making a bargain or deal, and generally for any situation that requires cooperation.

Examples

“I can’t blame my wife alone for the divorce. It takes two to tango.”

“I can’t get along with Rick. We’re always arguing,” said Janice.

“Well, it takes two to tango, you know,” replied Madeleine.

“Why don’t you give me a price to buy your car,” said Hank.

“I can’t buy it and sell it. It takes two. Why don’t you make me an offer?” answered Walt.

Origin

The word take is used in this idiom to mean ‘require.’ If we say “it takes two hours to get to Cumberland’ we mean that two hours are required to travel to Cumberland. So, it takes two to tango means that two people are required to tango.

The tango is a Latin American dance that gained popularity in the United States in the 1920s. However, while the concept behind the idiom has existed for centuries such as in the 16th-century proverb “It takes two to make a bargain,” it is not clear that this idiom existed before the popular 1952 song Takes Two To Tango was released, written by Al Hoffmann and Dick Manning and recorded by singer Pearl Bailey.

Louis Armstrong released his own version of the song in the same year, but the Pearl Bailey version seems to have been the most well-known and popular.

The comedian George Carlin quipped that the idiom was not always very accurate, saying that “Sounds good, but simple reasoning will reveal that it only takes one to tango. It takes two to tango together, maybe, but one person is certainly capable of tangoing on his own.”