Does 'over a cup of coffee' mean talking over the coffee? Can't I say 'through the steam of the coffee'? Why is English so confusing!

[Characters]
👦 Child: Asks simple questions to Bunshiro without hesitation.
👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Has been a teacher for nearly 40 years, but still finds English confusing.
🦉 Theo: Knowledgeable. Appears out of nowhere when Bunshiro is in trouble.
🐶 Gajumaru: A pet dog who silently listens to Bunshiro's true feelings. Only says "Woof".

---

👦 Child: Hey, Bunshiro.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: What is it?

👦 Child: I saw an English sentence that was like, "Let's talk while drinking coffee."

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Ah, it's "over," isn't it? That's what's bothering you.

👦 Child: How did you know?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: I'm a teacher, after all. I can see right through what you're thinking.

👦 Child: Yeah, exactly. It said, "Let's talk over a cup of coffee."

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: I thought so.

👦 Child: So, let me ask you, why do you say "over a cup of coffee"?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: That is...

👦 Child: What? For someone who acts so high and mighty, you can't explain it, can you?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: D-don't say "can't explain it."

👦 Child: Why don't you call Theo already?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Shut up. Theo~.

🦉 Theo: Did you call for me?

👦 Child: You're fast.

🦉 Theo: I sensed that Bunshiro was in trouble.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Don't come just because you sensed it.

👦 Child: Theo, listen. Why is it "over" in "over a cup of coffee"?

🦉 Theo: This "over" does not mean "on top of." Here, it feels like "while drinking," "surrounding," or "during the time of."

👦 Child: So it doesn't mean talking while sitting on top of the coffee.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Obviously. It's hot.

👦 Child: But we're taught that "over" means "above" or "across."

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: That's where the confusion lies.

👦 Child: Actually, I was called on in class.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Oh?

👦 Child: And I was asked to translate "Let's talk over a cup of coffee," so I said, "Let's talk through the steam of the coffee."

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Oh.

👦 Child: Then the teacher said, "That's wrong."

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Hmm.

👦 Child: It was so embarrassing.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: No, that's not a bad answer.

👦 Child: But I was told it was wrong.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: As a fixed meaning in English, it is wrong. But you looked at "over" properly and thought of it as "through."

👦 Child: Yeah.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Talking through the steam of the coffee. As an image, it's actually quite nice.

👦 Child: Really?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Really. There are good mistakes, too.

👦 Child: Good mistakes?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Mistakes that happen because you looked at the words properly and thought about them. That's different from just talking nonsense.

👦 Child: Hearing you say that makes me feel a bit better.

🦉 Theo: Bunshiro is right. It's not the correct translation, but it's an answer that shows you tried to grasp the sense of "across" or "on the other side" that "over" carries.

👦 Child: You think so too, Theo?

🦉 Theo: Yes. However, in this expression, it doesn't mean physically going over the steam or the cup.

👦 Child: Then what does it mean?

🦉 Theo: "Over lunch" means "while eating lunch" or "during lunch." "Over dinner" means "while eating dinner" or "at the dinner table." "Over a cup of coffee" means "while drinking coffee" or "with coffee in between us."

👦 Child: I see. It's not on top of the coffee, but talking during the time we drink coffee.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: That's right. It's the feeling of having coffee on the table and talking while sharing that time.

👦 Child: So, "Let's talk over a cup of coffee" is like saying, "Let's talk while we have some coffee."

🦉 Theo: Exactly.
👦 Child: But isn't "Let's talk through the steam of the coffee" also kind of nice?
👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: It is. As poetry, it's quite good.

👦 Child: As poetry?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: As an English translation, it's wrong. But as words, it's beautiful.

👦 Child: Then couldn't you have marked it correct?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Well, maybe. But now, I also think this.

👦 Child: What?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: What if it were iced coffee?

👦 Child: If it were iced coffee, it would be in a glass.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Hmm.

👦 Child: It says "a cup of coffee," so it must be hot coffee.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: You're really looking at the details.

👦 Child: You're the one who said it, Bunshiro. To look at the words properly.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Having my own words thrown back at me is the hardest part.

🐶 Gajumaru: Woof woof.

👦 Child: But I'm kind of happy.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: About what?

👦 Child: At the time, I just thought I made a mistake and was embarrassed, but now that I think about it, I can see that I was actually thinking about it.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: That's all that matters.

👦 Child: Bunshiro, you sound like a teacher today.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Not just today, always.

👦 Child: But in the end, Theo gave the explanation.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Ugh.

👦 Child: But I'll let it slide today.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Why are you acting so superior?

👦 Child: Because you said my translation of "through the steam of the coffee" wasn't bad.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Not just not bad, I actually quite like it.

👦 Child: Really?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: It's different from the correct English answer. But as words, it's beautiful.

👦 Child: Somehow, that embarrassment from back then feels a little better now.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: That's all that matters. There are mistakes that you can be saved by later on.

🐶 Gajumaru: Woof woof.

---

"Over" is often taught as "above."

But "over" is more than that.

"Over lunch"

While eating lunch.

During lunch.

"Over dinner"

While eating dinner.

At the dinner table.

"Over a cup of coffee"

While drinking coffee.

With coffee in between.
The "over" here doesn't mean sitting on top of a coffee cup.
The time spent drinking coffee.

The setting with coffee in between.
It's the feeling of talking during that relaxed time.
Therefore,

"Let's talk over a cup of coffee."
means
"Let's talk while we have some coffee."

However,

the translation "Let's talk through the steam of the coffee"
is not just nonsense.
It's not the correct answer.

But it shows traces of looking at the words, thinking, and imagining.

There are good mistakes, too.

When studying English,

things are sometimes dismissed as just correct or incorrect.
But the confusion along the way,

and the traces of your own thinking,

it's a bit of a waste to dismiss them all as nothing.

"Over" is not just "above."

From place, to time.
From time, to scene.

From scene, to atmosphere.

A single word spreads in many directions.
That is why,

if you dismiss it as "over = above,"
the confusion will remain.