  We introduce the class of transparent embeddings for a point-line geometry
$\Gamma = ({\mathcal P},{\mathcal L})$ as the class of full projective
embeddings $\varepsilon$ of $\Gamma$ such that the preimage of any projective
line fully contained in $\varepsilon({\mathcal P})$ is a line of $\Gamma$. We
will then investigate the transparency of Pl\"ucker embeddings of projective
and polar grassmannians and spin embeddings of half-spin geometries and dual
polar spaces of orthogonal type. As an application of our results on
transparency, we will derive several Chow-like theorems for polar grassmannians
and half-spin geometries.
