The phrase cold chain refers to when it is winter and freezing cold outside and people are still working and trying to pull and push chains through things.
a cold chain that is passive :)
cold
The phrase these creatures line 2 refer to 'strongly right hand'.
I believe you mean "Yanking your chain.", which means, joking , playing a prank, pulling your leg.
stuff
Archipelago is understood to mean a collection of islands, so yes the "of islands" part is redundant.
m
This phrase means literally: From many, one and is used to refer to the many states forming one country in the USA.
refer to the above subject
The phrase catching a cold is an idiom since you cannot physically catch an illness. This phrase has been around for hundreds of years but there is no indication as to when it originated.
cold
The usual phrase is, "You caught a cold."