<p>As I sampled your list, I saw many phrases that you wrote incorrectly. #56 “to turn back on someone” is actually “to turn your back on someone”. This can be easily understood once you imagine seeing one person literally turning their back to someone else’s request for help or for simple consideration. #15 “to plant” means to place something. It is a reference to planting a seed. However it has a connotation of secrecy and dishonesty. A dishonest policeman may ‘plant’ an illegal drug in your car in order to ‘frame’ you (imagine a picture frame with a picture of your face in it) for a crime you didn’t commit. A spy may plant a ‘bug’ (a hidden microphone) in your apartment.</p>
<p>Many of these idioms will have to be memorized by rote unless you have some idea of their origins. ‘Bury the hatchet’, for example, is generally believed to be an idiom borrowed from the Native American (or American Indian) culture. It suggests burying a weapon as a symbolic gesture to end a conflict. ‘Smoke the peace pipe’ is another such phrase with basically the same meaning.</p>
<p>I would suggest you go to an online bookstore and look for a ‘dictionary of American slang’. (‘Slang’ is a less formal word for idiom.) There are many to choose from. Try to find one that includes explanations of the idiom’s origin, since that will make it much easier to remember. If you have such a reference with you, you would be able on your own to accomplish what you are trying to do on this thread. </p>
<p>In the meantime, I suggest you look again at the link posted by Silverturtle. It doesn’t have the origins of the idioms it lists, but it’s a place to start.</p>