Sesquipedalian means having many syllables, and you'll probably know what phobia means. Thus, "sesquipedaliophobia" is an irrational fear of words with many syllables. The prefixes "hippopoto-" and "monstro-", as you might guess, are not there to add anything in terms of meaning, in fact they are rather nonsensical. Their only purpose is to make the word longer, in a witty and cruel, sarcastic twist.
Wiktionary says:
Etymology
From hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian, an extension of sesquipedalian with monstrum "monster" and a truncated, misspelled form of hippopotamus, intended to exaggerate the length of the word itself and the idea of the size of the words being feared; combined with phobia.
So I guess the answer to your question is yes, you can say that someone was trying to be funny.
The concept suggested by the phrase It takes two to Tango was in use several centuries before the early 1900s.
According to the facts presented in Jennifer Speake's book, "The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs," the notion of it takes two is presented in terms of a Bargain and a Quarrel:
It takes TWO to make a bargain
Both parties to a bargain must consent to and keep the agreement.
1597 BACON Colours of Good & Euill x. 68 The seconde worde makes the bargaine. 1598 Mucedorus B2 Nay, soft, sir, tow words to a bargaine, a 1637 MIDDLETON et al. Widow v.i. There's two wordds to a bargain ever...and if love be one, I'm sure money's the other. 1766 GOLDSMITH Vicar of Wakefield II. xii. 'Hold, hold, Sir,' cried Jenkinson, 'there are two words to that bargain.'
It takes TWO to make a quarrel
A quarrel cannot happen unless the two opposing sides both insist on getting their way.
1706 J. STEVENS Spanish & English Dict. s.v. Barajar, When one will not, two do not Quarrel. 1732 T. FULLER Gnomologia no. 4942 There must be two at least to a Quarrel. 1859 H. KINGSLEY Geoffrey Hamlyn II. xiii. It takes two to make a quarrel, Cecil, and I will not be one.
According to Christine Denniston in an article, "Couple Dancing and the Beginning of Tango,"
The first piece of music written and published in Argentina describing itself as a tango appeared in 1857. It was called "Toma maté, ché".
As such, the term Tango would likely have not been in use much before that year, though pinning it down is a tad more complicated due to the uncertain origin of the term itself.
In addition, Ms. Denniston further explains that the dance Tango seems to have made its way to Europe from Argentina in the early 1900s:
The earliest evidence of Tango being danced in Europe comes from the first decade of the Twentieth Century. It probably came into France first through the port of Marseille, where Argentine sailors would dance with the local girls, and Tango was the couple dance they prefered. There is evidence of a couple dancing Tango on stage in Monmartre in Paris by 1909. But it was in 1912 that the Tango took Paris by storm.
Although I have no proof to confirm the reference to a book of poetry in 1912 given by user "HotLicks" above, if that is so, then 1912 is likely the first use of the term with the phrase It takes two to Tango.
Best Answer
This is a history that perhaps should remain unwritten. If you're easily offended, you probably don't want to read it. And so I'll keep it brief. Bush may not appreciate the original source of the popularity of the phrase...which could not help but resonate for the many members of the British and US sub- and counter-cultures listening to him. And laughing.
The exact phrase "read my lips" first appears, in the documentation available to me, in the late 19th century. At that time, it was associated with teaching deaf children. So, this from an 1893 volume titled Summer Meetings: American Association to Promote Teaching of the Deaf is the first instance I could glean from Google Books:
Isolated appearances with reference to teaching the deaf continue through the first six decades of the twentieth century, and beyond, in books, journals and newspapers.
Then comes the boom in popularity, partially sponsored by a counter-culture film called The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry et al. A Wikipedia article calls it "the longest-running release in film history". Let's just say it was popular. Very popular among select groups. Lips, in a variety of guises, feature large in the film. For example, a description of the film intro from a transcription:
(From the script archives at Zenin's Rocky Horror Picture Show Archive!!!.)
When, in 1978, the star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tim Curry, released his first solo album (an 'album' was at that time the medium for recorded music), he titled the album Read My Lips. The title traded heavily on the subtext arising from the artist's having been the star of the film. Its success among the sub- and counter-culture groups that made up the fan base of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was guaranteed. It remains a significant release for many fans, as an article at Why It Matters from September, 2013, testifies:
Be all that as it may, which it might or might not, because although William Saffire in a September, 1988 Washington Post article titled "ON LANGUAGE; Read My Lips", seems to contradict it by quoting Tim Curry, he also confirms the origin is "rooted in rock music":
Saffire goes on to complete his clandestine apologetics--a transparent, but apparently successful effort at damage control--for Bush's use by tracing perhaps more direct and less compromising influences. Notice that Saffire chooses to characterize Bush's use as a "stern intensifier", rather than sarcastic: