at face value, take

take (someone or something) at face value

To accept or trust someone or something based only on an initial or superficial presentation, without taking further proof, verification, or investigation into account. I've learned never to take corporate PR statements at face value. It's hard to take Jeff at face value when he's been caught lying in the past.

See also: face, take, value

at face value, take

Accept from its outward appearance, as in You can't always take a manufacturer's advertisements at face value; they're bound to exaggerate . Literally this idiom has referred to the monetary value printed on a bank note, stock certificate, bond, or other financial instrument since the 1870s. The figurative usage is from the late 1800s.

See also: face, take