1
general::
Phrase(s): *a shadow of oneself [and] *a shadow of itself; *a shadow of one’s former self
Fig. someone or something that is not as strong, healthy, full, or lively as before. (*Typically: be ~; become ~.) • The sick man was a shadow of his former self. • The abandoned mansion was merely a shadow of its old self.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs