  We study the short-time dynamics of a liquid ligament, held between two solid
cylinders, when one is impulsively accelerated along its axis. A set of
one-dimensional equations in the slender-slope approximation is used to
describe the dynamics, including surface tension and viscous effects. An exact
self-similar solution to the linearized equations is successfully compared to
experiments made with millimetric ligaments. Another non-linear self-similar
solution of the full set of equations is found numerically. Both the linear and
non-linear solutions show that the axial depth at which the liquid is affected
by the motion of the cylinder scales like $\sqrt{t}$. The non-linear solution
presents the peculiar feature that there exists a maximum driving velocity
$U^\star$ above which the solution disappears, a phenomenon probably related to
the de-pinning of the contact line observed in experiments for large pulling
velocities.
