It wouldn't really matter if he made it up - Toriyama's classification of elite only included the two Vegetas, so the top class is just as narrow in either case.
I just think assuming it's three classes with the Saiyans using more pretentious terminology fits best and doesn't require any retcons to the manga.
In Saiyan culture it does.
Which is a shame, since he'd at least not be as much of a dick as Beerus can be.
Though Beerus is more of a dick in Super than he was in Battle of Gods.
One Strip! One Strip!Late to the party, but I think there's some cultural running-joke with the super elite thing. In Kamen Rider Decade, Decade once ended up in a world where there was a business/class hierarchy that the local riders were in. When asked what class he was, Decade responded by saying he was obviously an "elite; no, a super elite", despite the hierarchy being displayed prominantly moments before with elite as the highest class.
Or maybe not.
Beerus has been alive for at least 75 million years. Either he is immortal or so long lived that the point is rendered moot, because it's pretty clear he'll outlive Goku, and Whis should know this. There's also the fact that there's all of one being in the entire universe who can take Beerus on a fight and win and that is Whis himself, so it's very unlikely that Goku would ever be alive when Beerus isn't unless Whis kills Beerus himself. By saying "When he dies", Whis is again referencing the fact that Kami intended to die once he was no longer the guardian of Earth.
himitsu keisatsu seifu chokuzoku kokka hoanbu na no da himitsu keisatsu yami ni magireru supai katsudou torishimariUm...you do know Goku can keep his body when he's dead, right? Or the fact that Goku would technically be immortal at that point? Goku would literally have all of eternity to surpass Beerus, simply due to how the afterlife works here, and there's nothing stating that Goku couldn't become the next God of Destruction after he dies.
Let's see if you can get past my Beelzemon. Mephiles, WARP SHINKA!I do remember that Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and 3 ran with that; Vegeta and King Vegeta could control themselves perfectly in the Ozaru state, Nappa was capable of controlling himself somewhat as one, with him being able to talk in a limited fashion, and everyone else was just going primal monkey noises all the time.
Let's see if you can get past my Beelzemon. Mephiles, WARP SHINKA!

Well...they probably figured that it was just his massive ego. He did think really highly of himself back then.
Let's see if you can get past my Beelzemon. Mephiles, WARP SHINKA!