bore

Extremely bored to the point of distraction, frustration, or irritation. I was bored out of my brains listening to that lecture this afternoon.

Extremely bored to the point of distraction, frustration, or irritation. I was bored out of my skull listening to that lecture this afternoon.

Extremely bored to the point of distraction, frustration, or irritation. I was bored to tears listening to that lecture this afternoon.

To bore someone to the point of distraction, frustration, or irritation. The professor bored the whole class to tears. This film bores me to tears.

To be extremely bored. My flight's been delayed, and I'm bored to death after sitting around the airport all day.

Fig. to be exceedingly dull and uninteresting. (Stiff means "dead.") The play bored me stiff. The lecture bored everyone to death.

Fig. to be exceedingly dull and uninteresting to someone. You bore the pants off of me! The lecture bored the pants off of everybody.

Fig. [for someone's gaze] to seem to penetrate the person being gazed or stared at. Her stare bored right through me.

to pierce or drill through something. The drill bit could not bore through the steel plate.

very bored; extremely dull and uninteresting (Usually an exaggeration.) I was bored silly at the lecture. The dull speaker left me bored to distraction. I am bored to tears. Let's go home.

to make someone lose interest completely Herman was bored to death by the stories Arlie told.

extremely bored Jeanne moved to a small town in New York State, and she was bored out of her mind.

to make someone very bored These wildlife programmes bore the arse off me.

to be very bored The speeches went on for an hour. I was bored to death.

Also, bore to tears or bore stiff or bore the pants off. Weary someone through extremely dull talk or uninteresting action. For example, Sam was bored stiff by the opera but didn't dare to admit it, or Carol bores the pants off me with her constant talk of remodeling, or His books bore me to death. All four expression convey the idea of such exasperation that one dies, weeps, stiffens with annoyance, or has one's trousers removed. The verb bore has been used in this sense only since about 1750, and its etymology is unknown. The amplifications were added between about 1850 and 1950. Also see under pants off; talk one's arm off.

This phrase is used to intensify the meaning of verbs such as bore or charm or kid or scare or talk . For example, That speech bored the pants off us, or It was a real tornado and scared the pants off me. Playwright Eugene O'Neill used it in Ah, Wilderness! (1933): "I tell you, you scared the pants off him," and Evelyn Waugh, in A Handful of Dust (1934), had a variation, "She bores my pants off." [Colloquial; early 1900s] Also see bore to death; beat the pants off.