I found this tricky in places, possibly because 60% of the clues had an answer or part of the wordplay (or both in some cases) that was a word/term which I hadn’t met before (or had been forgotten). Fortunately, for most of these the wordplay was clear otherwise I might not have been able to finish the puzzle.
As is often the case, my way into the grid during the first pass through the clues was via several anagrams though it was only sparsely filled by the time I got to 27dn. Progress was steady thereafter until I got near to the end when I ground to a halt. It took me a few minutes to spot that I had made two errors when entering 12dn (don’t ask me how, I’ve no idea) and when these were corrected I was able to complete the grid.
Across
1 Air’s short after accident, doing for articulation (9)
ARTHROSIS – an anagram (after accident) of AIR’S SHORT
8 Arrest? Central name escapes damage (4)
RUIN – RU[n] IN (arrest? Central name escapes)
11 Class about to direct amount of film (8)
CASSETTE – CASTE (class) around (about) SET (to direct)
13 German region: take some time there (4)
RUHR – R (take) UHR (some time there)
14 Surf-boat showing exotic fish – there! (6)
MASULA – MASU (exotic fish) LA (there!)
15 Parrot eating tropical plant, cut in thin sections (10)
MICROTOMIC – MIMIC (parrot) around (eating) CROTO[n] (tropical plant, cut)
17 Old writer’s plunge scatters untold liquid, but not all (6)
SOWSSE – SOWS (scatters) SE[a] (untold liquid, but not all)
21 Insist bailout is wrong, producing impalpable effect (13)
SUBTILISATION – an anagram (is wrong) of INSIST BAILOUT
23 Shakespearean King not entirely without support in due course (6)
ALONSO – ALON[e] (not entirely without support) SO (in due course)
24 Men worry about receding success and attack administrative document (10)
ORGANOGRAM – OR (men) NAG (worry) reversed (about) GO (success) reversed (receding) RAM (attack)
28 Cicada time and time again found in ramshackle exit (6)
TETTIX – T T (time and time again) in (found in) an anagram (ramshackle) of EXIT
29 Stringed instrument? Floor starts to tremble once (4)
KOTO – KO (floor) T[remble] O[nce] (starts to tremble once)
30 Endless entertainment with fellow’s friend taking out latest criminal genius (2,6)
FU MANCHU – FU[n] (endless entertainment) MAN (fellow) CHU[m] (friend taking out latest)
31 Time of month Latin avoids lounges (4)
IDES – ID[l]ES (Latin avoids lounges)
32 Night prowlers? Recalled old prayer when beset by Triads (9)
TENEBRIOS – BENE (old prayer) reversed (recalled) in (when beset by) TRIOS (Triads)
Down
1 Using short cuts when cornering angry group (6,4)
ACROSS LOTS – AS (when) around (cornering) CROSS (angry) LOT (group)
2 Noisy American supporting firm chasing most of Scottish eggs (7)
RAUCOUS – RAU[n] (most of Scottish eggs) CO (firm) US (American)
3 Poet’s hired, framing literary language (4)
TSHI – hidden in (framing) ‘poeT’S HIred’
4 Noisier TV is modified – one wants changes (11)
REVISIONIST – an anagram (modified) of NOISIER TV IS
5 Core part of advance warning of hearing process (4)
OTIC – [n]OTIC[e] (core part of advance warning)
6 Stone, I grant, injured Rev – one runs after it (8,3)
STARTING GUN – ST (stone) plus an anagram (injured) of I GRANT plus GUN (rev)
7 River that twists almost entirely through Basra, possibly (5-2-4)
SHATT-AL-ARAB – an anagram (twists) of THAT plus AL[l] (almost entirely) in (through) an anagram (possibly) of BASRA – &lit
8 Oil man turned up for meal (7)
RISOTTO – OTTO (oil) SIR (man) reversed (turned up)
9 Chinese city’s university with odd misdirected intelligence measure (6)
URUMQI – U (university) RUM (odd) IQ (intelligence measure) reversed (misdirected)
10 Indian dish, somewhat mildish in retrospect (4)
IDLI – a hidden (somewhat) reversal (in retrospect) in ‘mILDIsh’
12 Very wicked and mischievous for a cousin (10)
FACINOROUS – an anagram (mischievous) of FOR A COUSIN
16 Surface of ditch removed – bones revealed (4)
OSSA – [f]OSSA (surface of ditch removed)
18 Cloud begins to rise around capital of Uruguay (7)
STRATUS – STARTS (begins) reversed (to rise) around U[ruguay] (capital of Uruguay)
19 Nautical saint brooding about Lake (4)
ELMO – EMO (brooding) around (about) L (lake)
20 Old meeting house occupied by second African resident (7)
MOSOTHO – MOOT (old meeting) HO (house) around (occupied by) S (second)
22 Bulgaria captures one quest for physicists in digital item (3,3)
BIG TOE – BG (Bulgaria) around (captures) I (one) plus TOE (quest for physicists {theory of everything})
25 Indicate cash running short (4)
READ – READ[y] (cash running short)
26 Prepare to see off first frost (4)
RIME – [p]RIME (prepare to see off first)
27 Upturn I see concerning points of interest (4)
FOCI – I C (see) OF (concerning) reversed (upturn)
As usual, after a week I can remember little about the solving this, but I did note that I couldn’t parse 11ac and 17ac, so thanks for the explanations. I think I’d got almost all of the elements for the latter except I couldn’t see how “untold liquid, not all” meant SE.
I also recall I had trouble with 1dn. I could see the word play, I just didn’t know the answer, it’s not in Chambers.
Dormouse, I think 1 Down is in Chambers under ‘Lot’.
So it is! Didn’t think of looking there.