Does 'over a cup of coffee' mean 'across 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 whenever Bunshiro is in trouble.
🐶 Gajumaru: A pet dog who listens to Bunshiro's true feelings in silence. Only says "Woof".

👦 Child: Hey, Bunshiro.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: What is it?

👦 Child: I saw an English sentence that was like, "Let's talk over a cup of 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 knew it.

👦 Child: So, tell me, 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 'as I thought'.

👦 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 Mr. 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 we're not talking while sitting on top of the coffee.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Obviously. It's hot.

👦 Child: But I was taught that 'over' means 'above' or 'across'.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: That's the confusing part.

👦 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 across 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: It's wrong as a fixed meaning in English. But you looked at 'over' properly and thought of it as 'across', right?

👦 Child: Yeah.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Talking across 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: A mistake made as a result of looking at the words properly and thinking about them. That's different from just talking nonsense.

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

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

👦 Child: You think so too, Theo?

🦉 Theo: Yes. However, in this expression, it does not mean physically going over the steam or the cup.

👦 Child: Then what does it mean?

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

👦 Child: I see. It's not about being on top of the coffee, but talking during the time spent drinking coffee.

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: That's right. It's like 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 having some coffee'?

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

👦 Child: As poetry?

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

👦 Child: Then couldn't you have just 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 a glass, right?

👨‍🏫 Bunshiro: Hmm.

👦 Child: Since it says 'a cup of coffee', it must be hot coffee.

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

👦 Child: You're the one who said it, Bunshiro. 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: Why?

👦 Child: Back then, I just thought I was wrong and felt embarrassed, but now that I think about it, I realize I was actually thinking about it properly.

👨‍🏫 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 'across 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 language, 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.

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