In the LSJ entry for πριστήρ, there is mention of the word δαιτός. Whose or what’s teeth are the sawyers?
πρισ-τήρ , ῆρος, ὁ, (πρίω)
A.saw, Aret.CD 1.2.
2. sawyer, “πριστῆρες δαιτὸς ὀδόντες” App.Anth.3.101.
δαίς, δαιτός, ἡ, (δαίω B) meal, banquet, δαὶς ἐΐση, duly shared, Il.15.95, etc.; δαὶς πίειρα sumptuous banquet, 19.179; sacrificial feast, βωμὸς ἐδεύετο δαιτὸς ἐΐσης 24.69; δαῖτα θάλειαν Hom.Fr.inc.4 Kinkel (cf. Od.17.382); Θυέστου δαῖτα παιδείων κρεῶν the feast of Th. on .., A.Ag.1242, cf. 1593: pl., Od.20.182, A.Ch.483: of beasts of prey, Il.24.43; [τούτοις] παρέξω δαῖθʼ ὑφʼ ὧν ἐφερβόμην S.Ph.957.
2. meat, food, E.Cyc.245, cf. Od.18.279.
3. personified, S.Fr.605. Rare in Prose (exc. in Homeric allusions, Pl.Phdr.247a, etc.) as Hdt.1.133, 211.
Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A Greek-English lexicon (p. 366). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Tom’s.
I’m guessing that when Tom (Sawyer) wasn’t using it, it might have been a kitchen utensil or dinner tool used much the same way as we use serrated knives. This is strictly a guess, but I think it could be interpreted this way.
I’m puzzled by the puzzlement. Teeth are the sawyers of food. There’s no need for serrated knives if you have teeth! In grammarian-speak the genitive is adnominal not with οδοντες but with πριστηρες and is not possessive but objective (teeth saw food).
