“Idiom Intervention” is a humorous collection of dialogue by Herbie Steinman that illustrates a conversation between an extraterrestrial and a human. In it, the human, Jorj, repeatedly confuses the alien, Afann, with common human phrases that make no literal sense. The story opens with Afann’s confusion over the idiom “got your goat,” which sparks a conversation about what a goat is and why Jorj suddenly possesses one. The dialogue segways organically from idiom to idiom, questioning the most basic of human expressions.
This short piece was the highlight of December’s Teen Ink, making me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. My personal favorite part was a quick back and forth about a “You’re killing me” remark, which violated their peace agreement! The construction was also clever, circling back to the “got your goat” idiom in the ending. “Idiom Intervention” is perfect piece to put you in a good mood, and I recommend it to anyone interested in a laugh.