I have never, ever, ever heard this expression. (Since I've read both books, I must have read them at some point but I didn't notice them). I believe that Stephen King likes to create atmosphere by inventing things like this. In "The Lord of the Rings," if a character says something like "He that breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom," we understand that this isn't a real traditional saying in the real world. It's a part of the imaginary culture of his imaginary world. I think it is the same things with Stephen King.

hhh