Thank you Alchemi. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Even numbers tossing cabers (6)
BRACES : Anagram of(tossing) CABERS.
Defn: Plural of “pair”/an even number (of something).
4 Instrument behind keeping animal doctor (4,4)
BASS DRUM : BUM(one’s behind/arse/ass) containing(keeping) [ASS(an animal) + DR(abbrev. for “doctor”)].
10 Before being more noble? (7)
EARLIER : EARL(a nobleman) + -IER(a comparative suffix indicating something – whimsically in this case, being an earl – is to a higher degree/more of).
11 Flavouring what to tow? (7)
CARAWAY : Question: “What to tow?” Answer: (Tow the) CAR AWAY.
12 Avoided broadcast channel (4)
DUCT : Homophone of(… broadcast) “ducked”(avoided/evaded).
13 Article in German on singer in chorus (10)
ALTOGETHER : [THE(a grammatical article) contained in(in) GER(abbrev. for “German”)] placed after(on) ALTO(a singer with a, well, alto vocal range).
16 Drag or put back cigarette (4-2)
ROLL-UP : Reversal of(… put back) [PULL(to drag along) + OR].
… your own filter-tipped.
17 Satisfying conference (7)
MEETING : Double defn: 1st: As with specifications.
20 It’s pleasant to listen to European impostor (7)
EUPHONY : EU(abbrev. for “European”) + PHONY(an impostor/a fraud).
21 Sir Lancelot possibly to consider returning without giant’s head (6)
KNIGHT : Reversal of(… returning) THINK(to consider/to ponder) containing(without) 1st letter of(…’s head) “giant“.
Defn: …/is an example of.
24 Clever host can make cars (10)
CHEVROLETS : Anagram of(… can make) CLEVER HOST.
25 Reportedly goes with American city (4)
PISA : Homophone of(Reportedly) “pees”(goes/urinates) plus(with) A(abbrev. for “American”).
27 Cancelled event with a yell (7)
WASHOUT : W(abbrev. for “with”) + A + SHOUT(a yell).
29 In front but poorly aligned (7)
LEADING : Anagram of(poorly) ALIGNED.
30 Careless hit-and-run (8)
SLAPDASH : SLAP(to hit with the palm of your hand) plus(and) DASH(to run/go in haste).
31 Try tempting with dead fish (6)
DANGLE : D(abbrev. for “dead”) + ANGLE(to fish with a rod and line).
Down
1 British banks maybe make kitchen appliances (8)
BLENDERS : B(abbrev. for “British”) + LENDERS(out of many/maybe, one function of bankers).
2 Activity of oddly crude rural git? (11)
AGRICULTURE : Anagram of(of) [1st, 3rd and 5th letters of(oddly) “crude” + RURAL GIT].
Defn: … that enabled humans to stop being hunter-gatherers.
3 Impressive list of ingredients not about to rise (4)
EPIC : Reversal of(… to rise, in a down clue) [“recipe”(set of instructions for making or preparing something, including a list of ingredients) minus(not) “re”(about/with reference to)].
5 Secured in place with unpleasant work to do inside (8)
ANCHORED : AND(with/in addition to) containing(… inside) CHORE(an unpleasant task/work to do).
6 New pine trees around London lake (10)
SERPENTINE : Anagram of(… around) [N(abbrev. for “new”) + PINE TREES].
Defn: … , specifically in Hyde Park.
7 Fighting former PM naked (3)
ROW : “Brown”(Gordon, former UK Prime Minister) minus its 1st and last letters(naked).
8 Horses said to be dignitaries (6)
MAYORS : Homophone of(… said to be) “mares”(female horses).
9 Whale food makes a couple of kings sick (5)
KRILL : K,R(a couple of abbrevs. for “king” – “K” in chess notation, and “R”, the abbrev. for “Rex”) + ILL(sick/ailing).
14 Sport German helmet in execution (4,7)
HANG GLIDING : [G(abbrev. for “German”) + LID(a crash helmet)] contained in(in) HANGING(an execution/capital punishment by, well, hanging).
15 Physicist badly hurt internally very cross (10)
RUTHERFORD : Anagram of(badly) HURT + middle 2 letters of(internally) “very” + FORD(to cross, say, a river).
Defn: … who is considered the father of nuclear physics.
18 Blows up home even less evenly (8)
INFLATES : IN(at home/in lockdown) + FLAT(even/without a ripple or bump) + 2nd and 4th letters of(… evenly) “less“.
19 Just ran gleefully, holding throttle (8)
STRANGLE : Hidden in(…, holding) “Just ran gleefully“.
22 Starts to see colourful birds giving dirty looks (6)
SCOWLS : 1st letters, respectively, of(Starts to) “see colourful” + OWLS(nocturnal birds).
23 Delay unbelievable after standing start (5)
STALL : TALL(unbelievable, as with a “tall story”) placed after(after) 1st letter of(… start) “standing“.
26 Japanese initially a very abstruse language (4)
JAVA : J(International code for Japanese-registered vehicles) + 1st letters, respectively, of(initially) “a very abstruse“.
Defn: … in computer programming.
28 Salt water spring perhaps half gone (3)
SEA : “season”(an example of which/perhaps, is “spring”) minus its last 3 letters(half gone).
2D is anagram of C[r]U[d]E {oddly} RURAL GIT.
2d. As gwep says. I took it as an &lit.
Lots of lovely clues. Good fun though a quick solve. ALTOGETHER took me the longest. I was fixated for a time on the ending being “Cher”, the setters’ favourite singer (apart from birds perhaps).
Thanks to the Michael anagram and to scchua.
Great fun, with nice brief cluing and a lot of humour. However, I can’t unthink the picture implanted in my mind of Gordon Brown naked. 🙁
Many thanks to Alchemi and to scchua.
I meant to mention that 30a was my favourite.
All very smooth and good fun, loved ‘Earlier’. Thanks Alchemi and Sschua.
A most enjoyable solve and relatively straightforward once I’d rid myself of the notion that a ‘vet’ would appear in 4a. I did need to look up 20a which was a new word for me.
Favourite was the careless hit-and-run.
Thanks to Alchemi and to scchua for the blog.
Thanks gwep and Hovis. Blog corrected.
It all came together without too much trouble, although we had trouble parsing ROLL-UP – we were thinking of ‘roll up’ possibly meaning ‘put back’ as in ‘Roll up that map …’ attributed to Pitt the younger.
We liked BASS DRUM, AGRICULTURE, SERPENTINE and RUTHERFORD.
Thanks, Alchemi and scchua