It takes two to tango

[BobK]

In another thread crazy_blue asked what this meant.

The tango is a very provocative dance, with the partners in very close contact: tango is Latin for 'touch'. Both people involved have to be working together very closely.

'It takes two to tango' refers to any activity of dubious morality (extra-marital sex, unjust war, embezzlement ... things like that); it's saying that both people involved are to blame (that there is at least some guilt on both sides, though it may be unequally shared).

b

PS
I tuned out of the relevant discussion early on [I stopped reading it once it was clear to me that it was irrelevant], so I don't know and am not interested in what context it was used in. Please don't continue that discussion here.

[curmudgeon]

"it takes two to tango"

"It takes two to tango" means that two people in a fight are both responsible for that fight. Example: "He hit me first; it wasn't my fault!" Answer: "It takes two to tango." Just like a dance between two lovers (the tango); one person might start the fight, but they both keep it going; it takes two [people] to [dance the] tango. Example: "Her husband is awful; they fight all the time." Answer: "It takes two to tango." A conflict is not the fault of just one person or the other; they are often both to blame, because it takes two to tango.

[Casiopea]

Here's more.

It Takes Two To Tango

Literally, it is of course, true. It DOES take two to tango. By extension, it is used to suggest that a person accused (or guilty) of something did not act alone.
Why tango? I suspect euphony. It sounds better than (for instance) 'it takes two to waltz' (even though it does).

Source: The Phrase Finder

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When two people have a conflict, both people are at fault.

Source: Pocket English Idioms

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

Source: The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy

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1.It takes two to tangothis cannot happen without more than one person

The reason we came out alive is because we worked together. After all, it takes two to tango.



2. It takes two to tango
From a popular song by Pearl Bailey in the early 1950's.
A dishonest, shady person, or scam artist who has found his mate,
who complements each other's undesireable behaviour.

Don't blame him only for cheating the old woman out of her money,
his wife helped. It takes two to tango.

Source: Urban Dictionary

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It takes two to tango means that one person alone doesn't make a major mistake and it usually requires the work of two people.

Source: Business Technology News