where the rubber meets the road

where the rubber meets the road

The point at which someone's or something's efforts, resolve, or viability are put to the test; the point at which things become truly or meaningfully challenging. Their business model is sound, but drumming up continued support with the public throughout the year will be where the rubber meets the road.
See also: meet, road, rubber
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

where the rubber meets the road

Fig. at the point in a process where there are challenges, issues, or problems. Now we have spelled out the main area of dissent. This is where the rubber meets the road.
See also: meet, road, rubber
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

where the rubber meets the road

Where the practical reality or crucial test is: "The sales effort is where the rubber meets the road in every competitive business" (Brian Tracy).
See also: meet, road, rubber
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • when the rubber hits the road
  • when the rubber meets the road
  • where the rubber hits the road
  • come to the point
  • come to the point and get to the point
  • come/get to the point
  • get to the point
  • get to the point, to
  • all over but the shouting
  • it's all over but the shouting
References in periodicals archive
Until either the designers and materials suppliers reach out and are speaking more often and in greater detail with the OEM and EMS companies--which in turn are equally reaching out throughout the supply chain--fabricators will continue to be where the rubber meets the road in enabling design, materials, end-results and the ability to provide that highly manufacturable circuit.
Where earthquake hazard is concerned, the study of earthquake ground motions is where the rubber meets the road. That is, in general, the damage potential of any earthquake is expected to depend on its magnitude and location relative to population centers, but the actual level of hazard depends on the severity of the shaking--what seismologists call the ground motions.
It even had its own song, a jingle that summed up its all-American appeal, its coolness and its image as a winner: Wherever wheels are rolling, No matter what the load, The name that's known is Firestone, Where the rubber meets the road.
This time, where the rubber meets the road, the only fire of note came from the superb racing.
“This isn't a theoretical discussion about possible trends, but actually where the rubber meets the road.”
"This really is the point where the rubber meets the road and we're going to be asking countries to put up or shut up, and no one will we be asking that more of than our Japanese friends," Tami Overby, vice-president for Asia at the US Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview on Monday.
In the end, it's not just about where the rubber meets the road.
It's where the rubber meets the road. Or in some cases, where the ticket meets the windshield.
I chose this LTT because it would give me the "where the rubber meets the road" experience in all logistics functions.
"How you allocate your resources is where the rubber meets the road ...
A copy of "Where the Rubber Meets the Road" can be obtained at http://web.mit.edu/cshub.
"The local level is where the rubber meets the road, and, so often, issues that affect a company's primary business operations occur at the local level," Steigman says.
Strategic interview: OK, this is where the rubber meets the road. Do not--and let me repeat, do not--talk more than the recruit.
The ridges direct water into narrow grooves, away from where the rubber meets the road. The tread on a shoe works in the same way.
"Where the rubber meets the road is when a SEAL Team goes down range with a combat service support troop from LOGSU1.