name of the game
the name of the game
The most important aspect or component of something; the main point of an activity. Getting strike-outs is the name of the game when you're a pitcher. I hope you boys know that safety compliance is the name of the game around here. We don't tolerate any tomfoolery.
See also: game, name, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
name of the game
Inf. the way things are; the way things can be expected to be. The name of the game is money, money, money. I can't help it. That's the name of the game.
See also: game, name, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
name of the game, the
The heart of the matter, the true purpose. The origin of this twentieth-century Americanism is uncertain, but Eric Partridge believed it came from sports, where either a coach or a sportswriter would say it in the sense of, “Scoring the most runs—that’s the name of the game” (i.e., the ultimate goal). A popular television series entitled The Name of the Game (1968–71), which was developed from a 1966 film, Fame Is the Name of the Game, helped the expression gain currency.
See also: name, of
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- name of the game, the
- the name of the game
- bright side
- down to (someone or something)
- down to somebody/something
- selling point
- the reverse of the medal
- consist
- consist in (something)
- go into detail