name of the game, the

Idioms  

1. The crux of the matter; also, the main goal. For example, Getting them to admit they're wrong—that's the name of the game, or Parents don't approve of a coach who insists that winning any way one can is the name of the game. This rhyming idiom uses name in the sense of “identity.” [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

That was the name of the game, the simple commandment many adhere to no matter which age you stick on the mitts.

From Los Angeles Times

While Haggerty’s now garnered praise as a once-forgotten maverick, challenging country music’s conservative stereotypes, he’s quick to point out that “anybody who was doing out activist stuff during the Stonewall era was an icon, because that was the name of the game. … The whole idea was to not shut up, to not be in the closet,” Haggerty says.

From Seattle Times

“Consolidation seems to be the name of the game. The local hardware store closes and you have a Super Walmart.”

From New York Times

“And having all the fun — all the joyful fun of knocking off the center-left of the Democratic Party, knocking off the establishment, winning the primaries, is not the name of the game. The name of the game is who’s gonna knock off Trump? And who’s the best to do that? Because in the end, eight years of Trump is hell to pay. And I think the Democrats will never be forgiven if they lose it again.”

From Washington Times

But as practical implementation increasingly becomes the name of the game, the United States now has much to learn from China, too.

From New York Times