It takes two to tango
Meaning: Both parties are responsible in a conflict.
Origin: From the 1952 song "Takes Two to Tango," written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning and recorded by Pearl Bailey. The tango cannot be danced alone, and the phrase came to mean that both parties share responsibility for a quarrel or a deal.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Il faut être deux pour danser le tango (literally: It takes two to dance the tango)
- Spanish: Se necesitan dos para bailar tango (literally: It takes two to dance tango)
- Japanese: タンゴを踊るには二人必要 (Tango wo odoru ni wa futari hitsuyō) (literally: Two people are needed to dance the tango)
- German: Zum Streiten gehören immer zwei (literally: It always takes two to quarrel)
More proverbs about Communication
- United we stand, divided we fall — Strength comes from unity.
- A rising tide lifts all boats — General improvements benefit everyone.
- A chain is only as strong as its weakest link — A group's effectiveness is limited by its weakest member.
- Silence speaks volumes — What is not said can be more meaningful than what is.
- There's no such thing as bad publicity — Any attention, even negative, can be beneficial.
- Many hands make light work — Tasks are easier when shared among many people.
From our tongue twisters
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- Unique New York. — Three words that jam the 'y/n/k' sequence together — repeat it and it collapses into 'you…