[Grammar] Was it much different for you when you started at the Foreign Office?

[kadioguy]

(Collins)

You use would, or sometimes would have with a past participle, when you are expressing your opinion about something or seeing if people agree with you, especially when you are uncertain about what you are saying.

[...]
'Was it much different for you when you started at the Foreign Office?'—'Worse, I'd expect.'
[...]

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/would
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Does the example sentence mean something like this?

Tom: 'Was it (=the situation I experience) much different for you when you started at the Foreign Office?'

John: 'Worse, I'd expect (=It was worse than I'd expect, i.e., yours was worse than mine).'

 

[emsr2d2]

Tom: 'Was it [STRIKE](=the situation I experience)[/STRIKE] (the experience I just described) much different for you when you started at the Foreign Office?'

John: 'Worse, I'd expect [STRIKE](=It was worse than I'd expect, i.e., yours was worse than mine)[/STRIKE] (If you asked me, I would expect to say that my experience was worse).'

emsr2d2

 

[jutfrank]

The response is equivalent to: I'm not sure but I guess that my experience was worse than yours.