Undiluted ... or a country with its vowels swapped

PURE

**Hint:** Think of a word meaning "untainted" that can be rearranged to name a South American nation. *(This hint guides the solver toward the definition ("untainted" for "pure") and the wordplay aspect (rearranging letters to form "Peru"), without directly giving away the answer.)*

**Explanation:** The clue "Undiluted ... or a country with its vowels swapped" leads to the answer **"PURE"** through two distinct but connected meanings: 1. **"Undiluted"** – The straightforward definition of "pure" means something that is not mixed or diluted, fitting the first part of the clue. 2. **"A country with its vowels swapped"** – This part involves wordplay. The word "pure" can be rearranged by swapping its vowels to form **"Peru"**, which is a country. The vowels in "pure" (U and E) are swapped to create "Peru" (E and U). Thus, the clue cleverly combines a direct definition with a playful anagram involving vowel swapping to lead to the answer.