Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Norwegian n.

(W.I.) an albino.

1958

cited in Cassidy & LePage Dict. Jam. Eng. (1980).

In compounds

Norwegian steam (n.) [the physical strength of Norwegian immigrants]

(US) manpower.

1944		O. Ferguson ‘Vocab. for Lakes, [etc.]’ AS XIX:2 106: Norwegian steam is brute manpower, doing it the hard way.
1979		Maledicta III:2 171: Norwegian steam n Muscle or man power; jocular, especially maritime usage; from the stereotype of the burly Scandinavian sailor or farmer.
1984		M. Michaelson Best of the Best in the US 216: This work is known as Norwegian Steam and passengers pitch in, especially when lifting anchor and making sail.
2002		Cochrane & Tolson A Good Boat Speaks for Itself 63: Rowing was sometimes facetiously called ‘Norwegian steam.’.