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said when you want to emphasize that both people involved in a difficult situation must accept the blame, or that an activity needs two people who are willing to take part for it to happen: She may want to argue, but it takes two to tango and I won't stoop to her level. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
It takes two to tango is a common idiomatic expression which suggests something in which more than one person or other entity are paired in an inextricably-related and active manner, occasionally with negative connotations.
When someone says it takes two to tango, they mean that certain activities or arguments require the active participation of two parties, whether that’s people or groups. We often use it to convey that both parties involved in a conflict are equally responsible for it.
If you say that it takes two to tango, you mean that in a situation or argument involving two people, both of them are responsible for it. Each side is blaming the other but it takes two to tango. I've tried everything to stop our marriage falling apart.
The idiom “it takes two to tango” is commonly used to express that both parties involved are responsible for a situation or problem. However, there are some common mistakes people make when using this idiom.
It takes two people to cause a problem between them. Examples Maybe Jack did provoke the argument but he couldn’t argue on his own could he? – it takes two to tango.
The phrase refers to the South American dance tango, which requires two partners to perform. It originated in a 1952 song Takes Two to Tango by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning and gained popularity subsequently as an expression.
