Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also fuzzle) to perform clumsily, to bungle, to make a mess of; thus foozling adj.

1843		T. Haliburton Sam Slick in England I 85: He no hurt Jube; he no foozle de hair.
1857		T. Hughes Tom Brown’s School-Days (1896) 225: I’ve been longing for some good honest pecking this half-hour. Let’s fill the bags, and have no more of this foozling birds’-nesting.
1899		E. Townshend ‘Chimmie Fadden’s Fun’ 9 Feb. [synd. col.] De District-Attroney has fuzzled de case so its own mudder wouldn’t know it.
1901		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 9 Jan. 1/3: Captain Scott [...] is disqualified for some funny foozling with Raven’s Plum.
1902		Ade Forty Modern Fables 102: She doesn’t pity you because you Foozle or take you in Hand as if you were a Boy.
1914		C. Holme Lonely Plough (1931) 123: Griselda and Grace both foozled the wall, the one from temper and the other from silliness.
1912		P.C. Wren Dew & Mildew 236: ‘Suppose he brings a gang with him. They’d spot us right off, and put him up to it that he was being pulled. Lord, we musn't foozle it’.
1918		A. Baer To You I Tell It 13 Mar. [synd. col.] If Columbus had foozled that first egg, America would still have been undiscovered.
1920		Ade Hand-made Fables 95: He had toiled with creaking Sinews and popping Eye-Balls so that his beloved Corporation would never have to foozle a Dividend.
1939		Howsley Argot: Dict. of Und. Sl.
1945		Sun. Post (Lanarks.) 26 Aug. 11/5: [He] misjudged the bounce of the ball, foozled as he reached for it, and dropped it.
1961		‘Frank Richards’ Billy Bunter at Butlins 41: Why, you fat, foozling funk, a fat lot you had to do with it.
1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 169: ‘[Y]ou fat, frabjous, foozling, frowsy owl!’.

2. specific to golf, to mis-hit a golf shot.

1888		Field 25 Feb. n.p.: Park foozled his second stroke [F&H].
1893		Edinburgh Eve. News 27 June 4/5: Mr Murray played below his form, and foozled some of his tee shots.
1896		F.P. Dunne in Schaaf Mr Dooley’s Chicago (1977) 175: Foozled his approach.
1909		Eaglefield Advertiser (SC) 13 Oct. 4/7: ‘Heavens!’ she cried [...] ‘Reggie has foozled his approach!’.
1917		Punch 14 Feb. 110: [cartoon caption] Dug-out (who has been put off on the last three greens by his caddie sneezing, and has now foozled his putt again).
1922		Wodehouse Clicking of Cuthbert 3: Many a golfer had foozled his drive owing to sudden loud outbursts of applause.
1936		Dundee Courier 12 Nov. 9/3: He foozled a shot from a bunker.
1947		Derby Dly Teleg. 20 June 1/5: [advert] If you foozle with your cleek / [...] / Do not put your clubs away / Drink a Guiness every day.
1950		Yorks. Post 2 Dec. 2/6: He played golf in Arran. ‘Wenever he foozled a shot [...] he would grind his teeth’.
2005		E. Shrake ‘How to Live Forever’ in Davis Permanent Wave 325: Rupert strode the twenty strides to his foozled tee shot.
2007		M. Frost Match 223: On the first hole, Harvie hit a superb drive, foozled his second about fifty yards, then hit his third to three inches and tapped in for par.