Meanings
phrase
- Blame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict.
Fee-fi-fo-fum It takes two to tangle and one to have won
1985, J. G. Thirlwell, “Anything (Viva!)”, in Nail, performed by Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel
Origin
Reconstruction of it takes two to tango, with tangle.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish ei yhden syy kuin kaksi tappelee, riitaan tarvitaan aina kaksi
- ei yhden syy kuin kaksi tappeleeblame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict
- riitaan tarvitaan aina kaksiblame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict
Portuguese quando um não quer, dois não brigam
- quando um não quer, dois não brigamblame is to be laid on both parties in a conflict
Cite this entry
APA
it takes two to tangle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it%20takes%20two%20to%20tangle
MLA
“it takes two to tangle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it%20takes%20two%20to%20tangle. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “it takes two to tangle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it%20takes%20two%20to%20tangle.
Source: it takes two to tangle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.