Talking past each other

Talking past each other is an idiom.
The phrase describes a situation in which people communicate at cross purposes.
The idiom explains what happens when there is a mismatch. Idioms are a common stumbling block for learners of a language.
The idiom applies to disputes in which neither side addressed any of the issues raised by the other. In talking past each other, two different concepts which need not have been disputed are somehow confused or conflated.
In fictional dialogue, when characters talk past each other, the result is an exchange with flaws or defects.
In common use.
The phrase is used in many contexts. For example,