wear (oneself) to a shadow

wear (oneself) to a shadow

To make oneself exhausted and anxious through too much work. I wore myself to a shadow trying to accommodate all our relatives over Christmas. It was nice having them here, but I'm so glad they're gone! My brother is wearing himself to a shadow trying to run his own business.See also: shadow, wear

wear yourself to a shadow

completely exhaust yourself through overwork.See also: shadow, wear