definitions

shadow of one's self

Also, shadow of one's former or old self. A person, group, or thing that has become weaker in physical or mental capacities or in power or authority. For example, After that long battle with the flu, he was just a shadow of his old self, or This new administration is but a shadow of itself, or The revised constitution is a shadow of its former self. The use of shadow for an emaciated person dates from the late 1500s, and by about 1800 the word began to be used for other kinds of attenuation.

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Nearby words

shadow box, shadow cabinet, shadow dance, shadow history, shadow mask, shadow of one's self, shadow pin, shadow play, shadow price, shadow roll, shadow test
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.