living corpse —(also: living dead) said of smb. who has lost all interest in life:
- It may be said that she came out of the asylum a living corpse, and it was not long before she died in reality.
living skeleton—is used of an extremely emaciated person:
- I was unprepared for what I saw. There on a reed mat lay a living skeleton of a man covered with a blanket.
Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase dead man walking—used of smb. who is in very great trouble (will soon get punished, lose his job, etc.):
- He is a dead man walking and should step down now. His actions brought disrepute to the judiciary…