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Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning and usage between the phrase take someone's word for it and take someone at their word? For example:
Sara told me that she would keep her promise. I had no choice but to take her word for it.
Sara told me that she would keep her promise. I had no choice but to take her at her word.
Some dictionaries state that the two expressions have the same meaning, but there are some situations where you would use one but not the other. According to Cambridge Dictionary (and I am aware of this nuance in everyday life) to take someone's word for something means:
to believe that what someone is saying is true
When my son said he did not break the neighbour's window, I took his word for it.
There is often the nuance that someone believed someone else without checking; it does not always imply implicit belief.
However to take someone at their word means (my emphasis):
to believe (someone) without question and act according to their words
When my boss said it was time to change the furniture in the office, I took her at her word and ordered new desks and chairs.
Xmeans believeXbecause someone has sworn to it. In this case,Xis her promise. In other words, this is a promise about a promise. How trustworthy is that? By the way, the idiom is have no choice but to. Not not choice; negatives are so fussy.