Never be at a loss

I am trying to improve my understanding of French language and have been going through this book for fun.  It was my grandmother's, and when I was a teenager my mum and I got the giggles going through it as some of the expressions are so dated, [Where are my galoshes and umbrella?] and others just paint a vivid picture.

For example, the idea of getting your phrasebook out at the appropriate moment, to say:
"Can you stop the drilling?" [at the dentist]
"I've got cramp in my left calf" [while swimming]
"Swim and help him, he has gone under" [also swimming, a hazardous pastime]
"Did he die of T.B.?" [this holiday really isn't going well]

But my favourite (the book was published in 1947) is
"He was a war profiteer and made his money on the black market"