Word.ws English Dictionary

it took Nixon to go to China

it took Nixon to go to China is the alternative form of only Nixon could go to China.

Meaning of only Nixon could go to China

Proverb

only Nixon could go to China

  1. Only a politician or leader with an impeccable reputation of upholding particular political values could perform an action in seeming defiance of them without jeopardizing his support or credibility.

Questions about it took Nixon to go to China

What is it took Nixon to go to China the alternative form of?
It took Nixon to go to China is the alternative form of only Nixon could go to China.

Words near it took Nixon to go to China in the dictionary

  1. it takes one to know one
  2. it takes two to make a quarrel
  3. it takes two to quarrel
  4. it takes two to tangle
  5. it takes two to tango
  6. it took Nixon to go to China
  7. it was a joke, Joyce
  8. it was delicious
  9. it was like this
  10. it was this way
  11. it wasn't only only

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: it took Nixon to go to China (page history and authors); only Nixon could go to China (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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