THEME: Periodic table abbrs. are substituted for the names of elements in phrases
GOOD ONES: Pirate once portrayed by Orson Welles
LONG JOHN AG [AG = silver; my favorite portrayer was Robert Newton]
Dickens classic
DAVID CUFIELD [CU = copper, I guess; I forgot much of my chemistry]
"High Voltage" band AC/DC [indeed]
It's sometimes held in a deli MAYO ["Hold the mayo!"]
Inside information X-RAY
Sites for sweaters? SAUNAS [DRAWERS didn't fit]
Target of a military press DELT [don't know when
delt became it's own word and not an abbr., and I'm not sure why the press is military, but a press in weightlifting can develop one's deltoids]
State of disbelief? ATHEISM
Making an impression DENTING [probably a bad one]
Rapper's demand LET ME IN [I thought more "Raven" than vocalist]
Carrier units AC'S [I thought ships]
BTW: Him, in Le Havre LUI [but not in Leeds]
Alike, to Pascal EGAL [this French word is grist for our mil as it is part of their motto which is often used in English; however, it means
equal which is different from
alike]
1987 "Crying"… LANG [she's k.d.lang and has one of the best alto voices on record, and while the duet with Roy is great, her solo version is so powerful it brings tears to my eyes]
CURDY? If you insist.
Hardly paparazzi quarry D-LIST[there is no D-list among the famous. To be on any list would be quarry. Clue should be like "Third grade naughty kids"]
Thunder predecessors SONICS [I suspect this definition refers to physical waves produced by lightning which creates the thunder, but my physics isn't much better than my chemistry]
Today's title "Elements of Style" is also the title of a classic in the writing of English --- more my speed than elements in chemistry. But the puzzle could not have been more fun.
RATING:
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun