After seeing the snowman the children built, Atticus praises jem in an unusual way by saying he's perpetrated a near libel. What does Atticus mean

He tells Jem he has perpetrated a near libel. A libel is a legal term meaning a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation. Atticus, is of course joking with Jem, but he asks the children to make the snowman a little less like Mr. Avery