Has anyone ever heard this term? It appears in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (on p. 13, according to my notes.... I've lost the book , which is why I'm browsing through AWAD instead of reading it, but whoever took the book from the table where I left it was kind enough to leave behind my notebook. Perhaps someone else can provide context?)

Was it an idiom coined by the author, who seems to be quite adept at manipulating language into colorful imagery, or is it a common phrase?

While we're at it, how about "second story man"? (Again, I've forgotten the context, but it's on p. 18)