phrase 'I can't get over'

[Haihao]

Hi,

Could you tell me why 'I can't get over...' has a sense of being surprized in the following context?

1. What a great presentation your team created!
I can't get over how well everyone like it.
2. Congratulations! You won the tournament and a free trip to Switzerland!
Well, I can't get over it!

Thank you.

haihao

[Alan]

Hi Haihao,

This expression suggests that you are unable to understand why something has happened. Almost in a literal sense the shock/surprise/problem or whatever sits in front of you and you feel you can't climb up one side and down the other. It has the idea that you can't recover from the surprise - almost the disbelief. And of course it can be useed with the meaning of recovering from an illness as in: I think I've got over my flu now.

A
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[Haihao]

Hi Alan,

A million thanks again. Your words 'whatever sits in front of you and you feel you can't climb up one side and down the other' are really picturesquely interpretive and impressive to me.

haihao