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name of the game, the

name of the game, the idiom

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]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.