A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

take someone at his word • take someone’s word
take someone at his word —assume that smb. means what he
says and act accordingly, even if he may not have quite meant
it: I was joking, but he took me at my word and arrived with
a bag of sliced pork and herbs.
take someone’s word —(also: take someone’s word for it) believe
a person even though there is no proof that what he says is
true: I don’t expect any of you to take my word blindly. Read
the suggested articles and books.
take someone away • take someone off
take someone away —take smb. to another place; lead a per-
son away: The prisoner was taken away by an armed guard.
take someone off —
1
. = take someone away: Before long the
young prisoner was taken off for questioning. 2. rescue a per-
son from a sinking ship: Before the ship sank, all the passengers
were safely taken off. 3. (Sport) remove a player: The captain
decided to take Snow off and try a slower bowler.
take someone into care • take someone into one’s
care
take someone into care —take a child lacking proper super-
vision, etc. to an institution run by the government or local
council: The little boy’s parents couldn’t look after him, so he
has been taken into care.
take someone into one’s care —assume the care of a person;
attend to smb.’s needs: I consider it a privilege to take your
child into my care and I’m looking forward to assisting you
in helping your baby become a well adjusted toddler.
take stock in something • take stock of something
take stock in something —have faith in smth.; attach impor-
tance to smth.: She always tends to exaggerate, so if I were
you, I wouldn’t take any stock in what she says.
take stock of something —evaluate smth.; consider smth. care-
fully: In starting out to look for work, a man should take
stock of his particular training and qualifications.