tango
tango Lexical Profile
tango Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A dramatic ballroom dance of Argentine and Uruguayan origin, performed by a couple in close embrace and characterized by marked rhythms, gliding steps, and sudden pauses.
"The dancers captivated the audience with an expressive and intricate tango across the ballroom floor."
A musical composition or genre written in 2/4 or 4/4 time with a strong syncopated rhythm, used to accompany the tango dance.
"The orchestra performed a classic tango featuring the melancholic sound of the bandoneon."
A code word representing the letter T in the NATO phonetic alphabet, used in radio and aviation communications.
"The pilot spelled out the tail number over the radio using Alfa, Bravo, and Tango."
• verb
To dance the tango.
"They learned to tango at a local dance studio before their trip to Buenos Aires."
To interact, cooperate, or contend with another person in a complex, dynamic, or confrontational situation (used especially in the proverb 'it takes two to tango').
"Both negotiators knew it takes two to tango when resolving a long-standing trade dispute."
• Rhymes for tango
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 19th century from Argentine and Uruguayan Spanish tango, which likely originated in a Niger-Congo language (such as Kikongo tanga, meaning a festival or gathering) brought to South America by enslaved West Africans.