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7 down: Drove fast (letters 9-5) answer is "barreled along." What do the numbers 9-5 refer to? Clue from Dec 8 puzzle: by Zhouqin Burnikel, edited by David Steinberg. Puzzles appear in Minneapolis paper everyday, under the NYT puzzle. All are edited by David Steinberg.

If it was "barrelled" (the way we would more commonly spell it over here), it's just the letter count. However I know that in the US you wear "woolens" rather than our "woollens"!

It is barreled. Another clue: "Roughly spherical firework (letters 9-6.) Answer if "cherrybomb."

David Steinberg is only 22 and has published several puzzles in Y Times.

http://www.customcrossword.com/p/about-me.html

A review of his puzzle from Dec. 9, 2019
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/27/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2018-12-28.html