it takes two to tango

English

Etymology

From the song Takes Two to Tango, written and composed in 1952 by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Proverb

it takes two to tango

1. (idiomatic) Some things need the active cooperation of two parties; blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.

   I can't do it by myself, and neither can you – it takes two to tango.

   He started it! Well, it takes two to tango.

Derived terms

• it takes two to tangle

Related terms

• tango

Translations

some things need the active cooperation of two parties

• Arabic: انها رقصَة التانغو تتطلب شخصين

  Egyptian Arabic: ايد لوحدها ماتسقفش

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 一個巴掌拍不響／一个巴掌拍不响 (zh) (yī ge bāzhang pāi bù xiǎng)

• Danish: der skal to til tango
• Finnish: tanssiin tarvitaan aina kaksi; kukaan ei riitele yksinään, kukaan ei tappele yksinään (about fights or conflicts)
• French: il faut être deux pour danser le tango (rare)
• Hungarian: kettőn áll a vásár
• Japanese: 喧嘩両成敗 (けんかりょうせいばい, kenka ryōseibai)
• Norwegian: det trengs 2 til tango
• Polish: do tanga trzeba dwojga
• Russian: для та́нго нужны́ дво́е (dlja tángo nužný dvóje)
• Spanish: dos no discuten si uno no quiere
• Swedish: det är inte ens fel om två träter (regarding conflicts)

References

• Gregory Y. Titelman, Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, 1996, →ISBN, p. 174.