#!/bin/bash -x

function i_know_what_this_does() {
  (
    set +x
    echo do stuff
  )
}

echo the next-next line still echoes 'set +x', is that avoidable?
i_know_what_this_does
echo and we are back and echoing is back on

+ echo the next-next line still echoes 'set +x,' is that 'avoidable?'
the next-next line still echoes set +x, is that avoidable?
+ i_know_what_this_does
+ set +x
do stuff
+ echo and we are back and echoing is back on
and we are back and echoing is back on

ikwtd() {
  echo do stuff
} 2> /dev/null

ikwtd() (
  set +x
  exec 2>&3 3>&-
  echo do stuff
) 3>&2 2> /dev/null

function xtrace() {
  # Print the line as if xtrace was turned on, using perl to filter out
  # the extra colon character and the following "set +x" line.
  (
    set -x
    # Colon is a no-op in bash, so nothing will execute.
    : "$@"
    set +x
  ) 2>&1 | perl -ne 's/^[+] :/+/ and print' 1>&2
  # Execute the original line unmolested
  "$@"
}