Green’s Dictionary of Slang

luck; often as hard mozzle, bad luck.

1848		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London II (2nd Ser.) 341: Any monzel vith that pale-faced young feller.
1850		Fast Man 10:1 n.p.: My mossul, I can't do it, everything goes wrong mit me.
1888		Sportsman (Melbourne) 31 July 7/8: My cobber came back to Melbourne disgusted at his mozzel. When we totted it up one night in Auckland, we found the trip had cost us A Couple of Hundred.
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 27 July 6/3: ‘So you got a hit for the double, Mossy?’ [...] ‘Yes, s’elp me, bad mozzle wasn’t it?’.
1892		Daily News (Perth) 5 Dec. n.p.: It was ‘hard mozzle’ for Singapore.
1896		(ref. to 1850) Mirror of Life 15/1: [W]hen Hazeltine won the Jews who backed him called him Mozzletine; when he lost they called him Shemozzletine.
1899		A. Binstead Houndsditch Day by Day 44: Ve vhas very glad [...] as how you’d choined the Sons of Plotzkar. Mozzel, my poy, mozzel.
1903		J. Furphy Such is Life 225: ‘How much do you stand to lose, if your mozzle is out?’ ‘Shiker’ or ‘shickered’ for drunk is a direct borrowing from the Yiddish shikker; as is ‘mozzle’ for luck which comes from the Yiddish mazel (pronounced to rhyme with nozzle).
1908		Bulletin (Sydney) 30 July 14/2: ‘’Day, Ponto! ’Ow y’ bumpin’?’ ‘Dead ’ookety, ole cock; feelin’ ’umpty-doo.’ ‘’Ard moz, Ponto.’.
1909		Sun. Times(Perth) 31 Oct. 4s/6: He is full of woe and trouble since this mozzle hard he struck.
1909		N.Z. Truth 29 May 4/8: It was ’ard, cruel, ’ard moz, to land a hundred to one double and then be diddled.
1910		L. Esson Ballades of old Bohemia (1980) 42: It wos ’ard moz. Jist as we wos gittin’ shoved in, I seen er drunk with er red wipe on ’is ’ead staggerin’ erlong ther fence .
1919		E. Dyson ‘Bricks’ in ‘Hello, Soldier!’ 32: ’Twas rotten mozzle, Neddo. We had blown out every clip.
1921		Hull Dly Mail 9 Mar. 6/2: I was pleased to hear that you ha d a bit of ‘mozzle’.
1923		Advocate (Burnie, Tas.) 7 July 10/2: So when a fellow snipes at Bruce, / Although it seems hard moz, he / Is wasting shots without excuse, / For Bruce is in the possie.
1959		F. Norman Stand on Me 18: Of course with my muzzle I didn’t have any chance at all.