Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) a bill, which ‘hurts’.

1937		J. O’Hara ‘Give and Take’ in New Yorker 13 Feb. 17/2: [E]very time a check came around, Joey recognized somebody that he thought he could put the touch on. So he’d get up and leave me with the bruise.
1945		J. O’Hara ‘The handler’ in Pipe Night 185: [W]hen you finally want to leave and you ask what’s the bruise, your man is in the donnicker or making a phone call.’ .