A good-for-nothing or a total screw-up. In the Canary Islands, it refers to a shady opportunist or a petty thief who tries to scam people (mostly used in the Canary Islands).
In the Canary Islands, a canchanchan is a crook or a scammer. The term comes from the English phrase 'Catch all you can!' used by sailors in Canarian ports. When they tried to cheat buyers with bad products, the phrase 'This guy is a canchanchan' was used to describe a crooked merchant.
An assistant or gofer, specifically one who performs manual labor or grunt work under the direction of a supervisor or boss. (In Mexico, this term is frequently used for helpers in manual trades like construction or auto repair.)
A bricklayer's helper, a mechanic's assistant, or the person doing the manual tasks under the supervisor's orders is a canchanchan.
A person who talks nonsense or says trivial things, but also refers to a close friend, sidekick, or buddy. (In the Dominican Republic, it most often describes an inseparable companion or someone you trust completely.)
In Cuban slang, this refers to a suck-up or a lackey who is constantly brown-nosing their boss. It describes a subordinate who follows their superior around like a shadow, lacking any backbone and using constant flattery to get ahead.
Here comes the director with his latest canchanchan to carry his briefcase and laugh at all his jokes.
España
México
República Dominicana
Cuba