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

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name of the game, the

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 ● Dec. 3, 2023

“In a university lab the name of the game, the end product, is a paper,” says Michel Laberge, founder of General Fusion in Vancouver, who has a Ph.D. in physics.

From Time ● Nov. 29, 2