bore me to death vs. bore me to tears?

[maoyueh]

"His tedious talk bored me to tears."

Does the sentence above literally mean "His tedious talk bored me to such an extent that I wanted to cry," or does it mean the same as "boring me to death?" Thank you.

[billmcd]

"His tedious talk bored me to tears."

Does the sentence above literally mean "His tedious talk bored me to such an extent that I wanted to cry," or does it mean the same as "boring me to death?" Thank you.

It's simply a figurative expression that should not be used/taken literally.