The young people of today (Millennials and Gen-Zers) make up words to use all the time with the help of social media.

Young people in the 80s were doing the same thing before TikTok and Instagram existed. These are a few words they used to say to each other back then.

Zeek

“Zeek” isn’t a common nickname to give someone in 2024, and the word originally didn’t have a great meaning in the 1980s.

Back then, there were a lot of misconceptions about geeky people. They were thought of as less than and often referred to as zeeks.

What’s ironic is in 2024, being geeky in your own special way is nice. It’s refreshing to see someone just be themselves about something and not worry about what others thing. 

Cheeuh!

While this is just a sound people make and not an actual word, it’s not hard to pick apart what this means.

More than likely, every surfer and snowboarder has said something like this in their life when they’re excited to do something.

It can also mean “duh” when someone asks you a yes or no question. 

Decent

One term that’s withstood the test of time is decent. In the 1980s, it was a slang word to describe someone’s personality.

If it’s decent, that means it’s cool. Today, that word has evolved into meaning good at something.

The evolution of a slang word from the 1980s to being one of the most commonly used words in daily life is fascinating. 

Props

On the contrary, giving someone props is a good thing. They did well and deserve credit for all they accomplished.

Like scrub, props is a word that’s still around and widely used by many different people in 2024.

There doesn’t appear to be any slang taking over for props or scrub that adds the same flare these do. For more slang content, click here to read about words and phrases only baby boomers say. 

Giggle Juice

There aren’t many better descriptors for alcohol than giggle juice. For a lot of people, alcohol makes you happy and excited.

You can let your hair down a little bit and get more confidence.

Given how accurately this phrase describes alcohol, it’s shocking it didn’t last long for slang words. There’s a chance when more people find out about this, the phrase is brought back. 

Zozzled

Even without reading what it means, odds are most people can guess the definition just from how silly the word sounds.

That’s right. Zozzled is what you’d refer to a drunk person as. Just those letters put together make it as clear and obvious what the meaning is.

Zozzled is another word that might make a comeback, especially when younger people are at festivals or concerts when they’re not sober.