This use より baffles me


From the anime Noir, Episode 2.

> Context: The husband comes home and his wife and son greet him outside.  
>  Wife: おかえりなさい。今日は早いのね？  
>  Husband: ああ、思ったより早く仕事が終わってね。

The wife's line, I get. The husband's line.....(????). Is he saying that "from
thinking, my job is finished."...? I really don't understand what role より is
playing in the sentence. Or even what it means.




I think it means:

> "Yeah, I finish(ed) [work/my job/the job] earlier than (I) expected."

`思った **より** 早く` = ["earli **er than** one
expected"](http://eow.alc.co.jp/%E6%80%9D%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%82%88%E3%82%8A%E6%97%A9%E3%81%8F/UTF-8/)
or " **more** early **than** one expected"

See also
[`思ったより`](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E6%80%9D%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%82%88%E3%82%8A)
at Space ALC for more examples.




I think it means:

> "Yeah, I finish(ed) [work/my job/the job] earlier than (I) expected."

`思った **より** 早く` = ["earli **er than** one
expected"](http://eow.alc.co.jp/%E6%80%9D%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%82%88%E3%82%8A%E6%97%A9%E3%81%8F/UTF-8/)
or " **more** early **than** one expected"

See also
[`思ったより`](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E6%80%9D%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%82%88%E3%82%8A)
at Space ALC for more examples.

