The term 'precursor to surrealism' can be summarized by the crossword solution 'DADA', which is a movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland in 1916. DADA was an anti-war, anti-bourgeois, and anti-art movement that sought to challenge the conventions of traditional art and culture. It was a precursor to surrealism in its use of absurdist and irrational imagery, as well as its rejection of traditional artistic forms.