Word of the week is finishative: Going for the big ending

Definition: The drive to see a task through to the finish. (Merriam-Webster Online)

Sample usage: "I've had the initiative to start reading the classics, but I've never had the finishative to complete one of them."

Popularity: It's a clever word, but its use in the office opens you to teasing at happy hour. "Hey, are you going to show finishative toward those fries, or can I have one?"

JAMES LILEKS

Heard a new word or phrase you want us to dissect? See more at startribune.com/word.