Save command to history without executing in bash

Use the -s option to the history command:

history -s cmd arg1 arg2

The call to history -s itself, conveniently, is not added to the command history, so in your history it appears as if you executed cmd without actually doing so.

There may be a better way, but you can use history expansion's :p modifier to print the current comment line without executing. !# is the current line, and % by itself will match nothing

$ cmd [arguments] !#%:p