It takes two to tango

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.

The phrase originated in a song, Takes Two to Tango, which was written and composed in 1952 by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning.

[3] The phrase was reported widely in the international media when Ronald Reagan quipped about Russian-American relations during a 1982 presidential news conference.

[6] The lyric from which the phrase originated lists a variety of things one is able to do alone, then contrasting them with performing a tango dance, which requires a partner.

"It takes two to tango" may be used to mean that some things need the active cooperation of two parties in some enterprise—for example, as in the following comment: "It takes two to tango" may be used to mean "an agreement or a consensual bargain requires the assent of both parties for the deal to be deemed successful -- for example, as in the following exchange: "It takes two to tango" may be used to mean "a quarrel requires two disputing parties," is an expression which is often used in situations in which both partners in the dispute should or could be said to share responsibility, or when one person is being blamed, but two are actually at fault.